Donald Trump explicitly called for the end of Ali Khamenei's leadership in Iran

US President Donald Trump, in a sharp attack on Khamenei, said: "It is time for Iran to seek new leadership."

As the bloody protests in Iran enter their third week and thousands of citizens have been killed by security forces, US President Donald Trump has called for an end to the 37-year rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran in an unprecedented and reckless attack, using a harsh and direct tone.

Hours ago, on Saturday, January 17, Trump said in an interview with Politico: "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran." He bluntly identified the current government structure as the cause of the downfall and destruction of Iran, adding that Tehran's leadership relies on repression and violence to govern the country, not real management.

Trump continued in a hostile and critical tone: "What he (Khamenei) has done as the leader of a country is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at unprecedented levels."

Criticizing the method of repression, he emphasized that even to run the country at a minimal level, leadership must focus on governing well, as I do in the United States, not killing thousands of people to maintain control. Trump concluded his response by saying, "Leadership is about respect, not fear and death."

Trump also called Khamenei a "sick man" who must stop killing people, while also noting that Iran has become "the worst place to live in the entire world."

Trump's comments came after the Islamic Republic's leader issued a series of harsh messages on social media blaming him for deadly violence and unrest in Iran. In one of the messages, Khamenei wrote: "We hold the US president responsible for the casualties, damage and slander he has inflicted on the Iranian nation."

According to official Iranian reports, first announced by the Supreme Leader, several thousand protesters have been killed during the protests, although there are no accurate and reliable independent statistics and the criteria report very differently.

Khamenei also accused the United States of interfering and attempting to expand military, political, and economic dominance over Iran, claiming that the protests were part of a foreign conspiracy.

Protests in Iran began in late December, initially sparked by economic problems, but quickly turned into a widespread protest against the Islamic Republic's system, demanding fundamental change. International actors and human rights groups have condemned the dramatic curtailment of freedoms, the use of violence against protesters, and a wave of mass arrests.

Meanwhile, international reports indicate that human rights groups and independent reports have recorded more than twenty thousand deaths and tens of thousands of arrests in these protests, and concerns about executions and violent confrontations continue.

Previously, the White House had announced in a warning tone that if the situation continued to escalate, Trump would not hesitate to use military force against Iran.

Some analysts say that if these positions are translated into action, they could increase tensions in the region to an unprecedented level and exacerbate the humanitarian and geopolitical crisis.

Following statements by Ali Khamenei and Tehran Prosecutor Ali Salehi about US involvement in the protests, Trump explicitly declared that he wanted the end of Ali Khamenei's rule and the replacement of a new leadership in Iran. These statements not only intensified the verbal confrontation between the two countries, but also indicated the depth of the differences and the growing crisis that has put Iran not only on the domestic stage, but also at the center of global attention.

This harsh stance in the midst of bloody protests has made the shadow of the military threat and the consequences of the humanitarian crisis more visible than ever. Ultimately, the keywords "new leadership," "repression," and "death of thousands" are not only media headlines, but also bitter realities that have placed the future of the region in a state of crisis and instability.