Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran
In his post, Pezeshkian noted that the "difficulties and hardships" in the lives of Iranians are largely related to the "long-standing hostility and inhumane sanctions" from the U.S. and its allies.
Support for the protesters in Iran was also expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump. On January 17, he stated that the Iranian authorities are using repression and violence to maintain power, and it is time to seek "new leadership" in the country, although he did not specify any particular candidates.
The protests in Iran began on December 29, 2025, against the backdrop of a sharp decline in the value of the rial. According to Reuters, the number of victims of the protests has exceeded 5,000, including about 500 security personnel. Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with retaliatory actions in the event of the killing of protesters, but on January 16, he announced a decision to refrain from an attack, as the Iranian authorities did not execute the participants of the protests. Ali Khamenei, for his part, blamed the U.S. president for the deaths of the protesters.
