‘He too will fall’: Khamenei invokes Pharaoh and the Shah in attack on Trump as Iran protests spread

Iran’s supreme leader accused the US of orchestrating unrest and warned Donald Trump of downfall as protests driven by economic hardship entered a second week.

• Khamenei warns US and Trump, accusing them of fueling unrest in Iran
• Protests over economic woes spread; internet blackout, disputed death toll reported.
• Iran's currency lost half its value in 2025, inflation exceeds 42 percent

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a sharp warning to the United States and President Donald Trump as protests driven by economic hardship spread across dozens of Iranian cities, entering their second week.

In remarks carried by Iranian state media and during a public interaction with supporters, Khamenei accused Washington of encouraging unrest inside Iran and said leaders who rule with arrogance inevitably face collapse. He repeated the message in a series of posts on X.

‘Tyrants fall at their peak’

Referring directly to Trump, Khamenei said rulers throughout history had been overthrown at the height of their power.

“The US president who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants and arrogant rulers of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] and others, saw their downfall when they were at the peak of their hubris,” he said. “He too will fall.”

The US President who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants & arrogant rulers of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] & other such rulers saw their downfall when they were at the peak of their hubris. He too will fall.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 9, 2026

Khamenei described Trump as a despot and warned that Iranians would not tolerate what he called “mercenaryism for foreigners.”

Our enemies don’t know Iran. In the past, the US failed due to their flawed planning. Today too, their flawed scheming will cause them to fail. — Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 9, 2026

Accusations of foreign interference

Khamenei alleged that some protesters were acting to gain favour with Washington rather than out of genuine grievance. He pointed to reported acts of vandalism in Tehran and other cities, claiming they were meant to please the US president.

“Last night in Tehran, and in some other places, a bunch of vandals came and destroyed a building belonging to their own country,” he said, adding that Trump had made “irrelevant nonsense” statements suggesting US support for demonstrators.

Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the US of interference and warned that any direct involvement could trigger retaliation, including against American forces and bases in the region.

Trump warns Tehran

Trump has issued a series of public warnings to Iran’s leadership in recent days. In interviews with Fox News host Sean Hannity and radio host Hugh Hewitt, he said the US would intervene if Iranian authorities used lethal force against protesters.

“If they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots, we are going to hit them very hard,” Trump said, repeating comments previously posted on social media.

Protests widen, crackdown intensifies

According to the Institute for the Study of War, protest activity has increased in frequency and scale since January 7, including in Tehran and parts of northwestern Iran. The group said authorities had intensified their response, including the rare deployment of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ground units in at least one province.

State television has shown security forces confronting crowds, while online videos—many of which cannot be independently verified—appear to show protesters blocking roads and chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator.”

On Thursday, Iran experienced a widespread internet blackout, limiting access to social media platforms used by protesters to organise and share information.

Death toll disputed

The unrest has turned deadly, though casualty figures remain contested. Amnesty International said at least 28 protesters and bystanders, including children, were killed between December 31 and January 3. Other rights groups have put the toll above 40.

The government has acknowledged at least one death, identifying the victim as a 21-year-old militia member aligned with security forces. Rights groups dispute that account, saying he was among the protesters.

Economic crisis at the core

The protests were initially triggered by Iran’s worsening economic conditions. Years of US and European sanctions linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme, compounded by regional tensions and last year’s 12-day war with Israel, have strained state finances.

Iran’s currency lost roughly half its value against the US dollar in 2025, while official data shows inflation exceeding 42 per cent in December. The first demonstrations began among merchants protesting the collapse of the rial and later spread to universities and cities nationwide.