President Donald Trump called for the end of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year run as Iran’s Supreme Leader. The statement shows how much tension between Washington and Tehran has grown recently, and an armed conflict might be imminent.
According to Politico, Trump made his position clear about Iran’s future. “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump stated, even as widespread protests calling for an end to the regime have lessened in intensity.
Trump directly criticized Khamenei’s leadership and character. He said the leader is a “sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.” Trump added that due to poor leadership, Iran is now “the worst place to live anywhere in the world.”
Trump’s harsh words came after Khamenei attacked him on social media
The exchange started after Khamenei’s social media account posted hostile messages directed at President Trump. The Iranian leader wrote, “We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation.” In a separate post, Khamenei claimed Trump had mischaracterized violent groups as representing the Iranian people, calling it “an appalling slander.”
After reading those posts, Trump doubled down on his belief that Tehran’s rulers use violence to govern their nation. He argued that what Khamenei is actually “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.” This confrontational approach mirrors Trump’s recent stance on other international conflicts, including his demands for Hamas surrender.
Trump believes that for Iran to keep functioning, the leadership should focus on proper governance, “like I do with the United States,” and not on “killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.” For Trump, good leadership is clear: “Leadership is about respect, not fear and death.”
This latest tension follows difficult weeks in Iran. Thousands of protesters were killed across the country recently. Early in the week, Trump had been threatening military action in response to the violence. On Tuesday, he encouraged Iranians to keep protesting and “take over institutions,” promising them that “help is on its way.”
Trump’s aggressive foreign policy statements have drawn attention from various quarters, with some Democratic lawmakers facing DOJ scrutiny over content that angered the president. However, one day later, the president changed direction. He said he was told that the government killings had stopped.
Trump saw this as a direct result of his pressure campaign. When asked about possible U.S. military action in Iran, Trump instead pointed to the end of the violence. He said that Khamenei’s choice “was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago.” He called that choice “The best decision he ever made.” Iranian officials have not yet responded to Trump’s latest comments.
Published: Jan 18, 2026 04:15 pm