All Israel News Staff | Published: January 18, 2026
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned that any potential military operation targeting Supreme Leader Khamenei would be seen as a declaration of “all-out war” against Iran, as the regime’s leadership launched a series of statements against the American president after he said that the time for a change of leadership had come.
In a post on 𝕏 on Saturday, Pezeshkian warned, “Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation.”
This came after U.S. President Donald Trump had called Khamenei a “sick man” and said it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran” during an interview on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Khamenei called Trump “a criminal” during a speech, blaming him “for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation.”
“Trump himself intervened in this unrest, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and said we will provide military support,” he added.
The verbal exchanges came as protests on the streets appeared to subside amid reports of the regime's mass killings of protesters. Trump has seemingly postponed launching military strikes for now after claiming the Iranian regime had canceled 800 planned executions of protesters.
However, the chief prosecutor of Tehran, Ali Salehi, said on Sunday that Trump “always talks a lot of nonsense,” stressing that Iran's response to the protesters would be “firm, deterrent, and swift, and a large number of our cases have now resulted in indictments being issued and have been sent to court.”
On Sunday, a judiciary spokesman said that “a series of actions have been identified as Mohareb," the offense of "war against god," which carries the death penalty, signaling that executions could go ahead despite Trump's claims.
Meanwhile, the British Sunday Times cited a new estimate that over 16,500 protesters have been killed in the bloody crackdown, up from a report by the opposition outlet Iran International that reported some 12,000 had been killed.
The Sunday Times report was based on statistics and accounts provided by a network of Iranian doctors.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based human rights group HRANA said it had verified 3,308 deaths so far and is reviewing 4,382 more cases. It also said on Saturday that at least 24,266 people were arrested, and 2,107 people severely injured by regime forces amid the crackdown.
The doctor network estimated that at least 330,000 were injured overall, with most of the carnage taking place over two days last Friday and Saturday. Most of those killed were young people under 30, but the death toll includes children and even pregnant women.
Iran's shutdown of the internet eased slightly in recent days, allowing more testimonies to emerge.
One witness told the Times, “Tell the whole world that on Friday, they sprayed everyone with gunfire. The IRGC forces were calmly trying to aim for people’s heads.”
Another witness said, “Snipers on rooftops were shooting people in the back of the head. We were walking when suddenly several people next to us would collapse to the ground, covered in blood. When we tried to go toward them to carry the bodies away, they opened fire on us.”
The network of doctors was arranged by an Iranian-German eye surgeon, Prof. Amir Parasta, who told the Times, “This time they are using military-grade weapons and what we are seeing are gunshot and shrapnel wounds in the head, neck, and chest.”
Parasta said that the figure of 16,500 protesters being killed was a conservative estimate, as the regime’s repression had deterred many of the wounded from seeking treatment in the hospitals, fearing they would be arrested there.
A particularly gruesome feature of the regime’s tactics has been the targeted blinding of protesters with pellet guns, shotguns, and other projectiles.
The doctors told the Times that at least 700 to 1,000 people had lost an eye, but that the true total number of those blinded could be in the thousands.
Tehran’s Noor Eye Clinic said it treated some 7,000 eye injuries, including around 800 incidents in a single night of protests, according to the report. A source whose brother works in the clinic said he believes that approximately 8,000 people across the country have been blinded.
The scale of the casualties has made denial difficult, prompting several regime officials in recent days to acknowledge that the death toll has reached into the thousands.
Tehran’s Noor Eye Clinic said it treated some 7,000 eye injuries, including around 800 incidents in a single night of protests, according to the report. A source whose brother works in the clinic said he believes that approximately 8,000 people across the country have been blinded.
The scale of the casualties has made denial difficult, prompting several regime officials in recent days to acknowledge that the death toll has reached into the thousands.
In his speech on Saturday, Khamenei said that “several thousand” people had been killed. On Sunday, an Iranian official told Reuters that the Iranian authorities had documented at least 5,000 deaths during the protests.
However, he added that this figure includes about 500 security personnel, repeating the regime’s claims that “terrorists and armed rioters” had killed civilians.
“The final toll is not expected to increase sharply,” the official added, claiming that “Israel and armed groups abroad” had supported and equipped the “rioters.”
allisraelnews.com
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned that any potential military operation targeting Supreme Leader Khamenei would be seen as a declaration of “all-out war” against Iran, as the regime’s leadership launched a series of statements against the American president after he said that the time for a change of leadership had come.
In a post on 𝕏 on Saturday, Pezeshkian warned, “Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation.”
This came after U.S. President Donald Trump had called Khamenei a “sick man” and said it was “time to look for new leadership in Iran” during an interview on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Khamenei called Trump “a criminal” during a speech, blaming him “for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation.”
“Trump himself intervened in this unrest, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and said we will provide military support,” he added.
The verbal exchanges came as protests on the streets appeared to subside amid reports of the regime's mass killings of protesters. Trump has seemingly postponed launching military strikes for now after claiming the Iranian regime had canceled 800 planned executions of protesters.
However, the chief prosecutor of Tehran, Ali Salehi, said on Sunday that Trump “always talks a lot of nonsense,” stressing that Iran's response to the protesters would be “firm, deterrent, and swift, and a large number of our cases have now resulted in indictments being issued and have been sent to court.”
On Sunday, a judiciary spokesman said that “a series of actions have been identified as Mohareb," the offense of "war against god," which carries the death penalty, signaling that executions could go ahead despite Trump's claims.
Meanwhile, the British Sunday Times cited a new estimate that over 16,500 protesters have been killed in the bloody crackdown, up from a report by the opposition outlet Iran International that reported some 12,000 had been killed.
The Sunday Times report was based on statistics and accounts provided by a network of Iranian doctors.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based human rights group HRANA said it had verified 3,308 deaths so far and is reviewing 4,382 more cases. It also said on Saturday that at least 24,266 people were arrested, and 2,107 people severely injured by regime forces amid the crackdown.
The doctor network estimated that at least 330,000 were injured overall, with most of the carnage taking place over two days last Friday and Saturday. Most of those killed were young people under 30, but the death toll includes children and even pregnant women.
Iran's shutdown of the internet eased slightly in recent days, allowing more testimonies to emerge.
One witness told the Times, “Tell the whole world that on Friday, they sprayed everyone with gunfire. The IRGC forces were calmly trying to aim for people’s heads.”
Another witness said, “Snipers on rooftops were shooting people in the back of the head. We were walking when suddenly several people next to us would collapse to the ground, covered in blood. When we tried to go toward them to carry the bodies away, they opened fire on us.”
The network of doctors was arranged by an Iranian-German eye surgeon, Prof. Amir Parasta, who told the Times, “This time they are using military-grade weapons and what we are seeing are gunshot and shrapnel wounds in the head, neck, and chest.”
Parasta said that the figure of 16,500 protesters being killed was a conservative estimate, as the regime’s repression had deterred many of the wounded from seeking treatment in the hospitals, fearing they would be arrested there.
A particularly gruesome feature of the regime’s tactics has been the targeted blinding of protesters with pellet guns, shotguns, and other projectiles.
The doctors told the Times that at least 700 to 1,000 people had lost an eye, but that the true total number of those blinded could be in the thousands.
Tehran’s Noor Eye Clinic said it treated some 7,000 eye injuries, including around 800 incidents in a single night of protests, according to the report. A source whose brother works in the clinic said he believes that approximately 8,000 people across the country have been blinded.
The scale of the casualties has made denial difficult, prompting several regime officials in recent days to acknowledge that the death toll has reached into the thousands.
Tehran’s Noor Eye Clinic said it treated some 7,000 eye injuries, including around 800 incidents in a single night of protests, according to the report. A source whose brother works in the clinic said he believes that approximately 8,000 people across the country have been blinded.
The scale of the casualties has made denial difficult, prompting several regime officials in recent days to acknowledge that the death toll has reached into the thousands.
In his speech on Saturday, Khamenei said that “several thousand” people had been killed. On Sunday, an Iranian official told Reuters that the Iranian authorities had documented at least 5,000 deaths during the protests.
However, he added that this figure includes about 500 security personnel, repeating the regime’s claims that “terrorists and armed rioters” had killed civilians.
“The final toll is not expected to increase sharply,” the official added, claiming that “Israel and armed groups abroad” had supported and equipped the “rioters.”
Strike against Khamenei would be 'all-out war on Iranian nation,' warns Pezeshkian as latest estimate says regime killed 16,500 protesters
Iran warns that any attack on Supreme Leader Khamenei would mean all-out war, as Trump calls for new leadership amid deadly crackdowns.
allisraelnews.com
