Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged Saturday that thousands of Iranians were killed during more than two weeks of unrest in the country — deaths he blamed on US President Donald Trump, who he said “openly encouraged” the protesters by promising them US “military support.”
In a speech to the nation that was described on his website, Khamenei called Trump a “criminal” responsible “both for the casualties and the damage” during the anti-government protests that broke out in late December, initially sparked by public anger over dire economic conditions.
Khamenei, 86, made no mention of the brutal tactics of Iran’s security forces in quelling the protests. Witnesses…