Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, acknowledged the deaths of several thousand during widespread protests in Iran in a public speech on Saturday, January 27, referring to the protests as an "American sedition." He emphasized that "we do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals."

Khamenei also referenced a warning from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, who on January 23 stated that if the Islamic Republic carried out its threats to execute detained protesters, it would face a "very serious response" from the United States. One day later, Trump announced that he had learned Iran had canceled the execution orders and that the killing of protesters had stopped.

In his remarks, the leader of the Islamic Republic described some of the protesters as individuals who had no connections with Israel and intelligence services, but were "excited by lies," adding: "This group also killed several thousand."

This is the first time the Iranian government has acknowledged the deaths of "several thousand" people, although there is no mention of the role of government agents in the killing of protesters. Previously, Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, had stated that the number of fatalities was "only a few hundred" and attributed it to "armed terrorists."

Khamenei also warned political factions within the country that he would not allow insults to be directed at "the heads of the country, the President, and others in such important international and domestic circumstances."