Ali Khamenei says thousands killed in Iran protests, some in inhuman, savage manner'
Supreme leader blames US for death toll and calls Donald Trump a criminal for support of demonstrations
www.theguardian.com

The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks.

In a speech on Thursday, Khamenei said that thousands of people had been killed, "some in an inhuman, savage manner", and blamed the US for the death toll. The supreme leader railed against the US president, Donald Trump, whom he called a "criminal" for his support of demonstrations, and called for strict punishment of protesters.

Khamenei said: "By God's grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition."

Iranian authorities also released a compilation of footage on Saturday that purported to show armed individuals carrying guns and knives alongside regular protesters " evidence, they said, of foreign saboteurs.

Another senior Iranian cleric demanded the execution of protesters, demanding that "armed hypocrites should be put to death".