US President Donald Trump called for new leadership in the Islamic Republic during an interview with Politico released on Saturday.
“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” he said.
This comes as Iran enters its third week of anti-regime protests triggered by economic instability within the republic.
Trump has threatened military intervention in the country after Iranian officials began violently cracking down on protesters.
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday. “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
Khamenei says Trump is responsible for Iranian protests
On Saturday, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini called Trump a criminal and blamed him for the protests in Iran.
"[Trump is] guilty for the casualties, damages, and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation," he said. "Western media figures interfered in past seditions, but this time the US president himself encouraged the sedionists."
In response, Trump said that Tehran uses violence and repressive tactics to keep Iranian citizens in line.
“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump told Politico.
“In order to keep the country functioning, even though that function is a very low level, the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”
“Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” he added. “The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people. His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”