PARIS: Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday said authorities "must break the back of the seditionists," blaming the US for "casualties" after a crackdown on protests against the country's clerical leadership.
Authorities have said demonstrations they condemn as "riots" are under control, with state-aligned media reporting thousands of arrests and officials vowing swift punishment for those detained.
"By God's grace, the Iranian nation must break the back of the seditionists just as it broke the back of the sedition," Khamenei told supporters during an address marking a religious holiday, aired by state television.
"We do not intend to lead the country to war, but we will not spare domestic criminals," he added, saying that "international criminals" were "worse" and would also not be spared punishment.
Iranian authorities have blamed the US for fueling a "terrorist operation" that they say hijacked peaceful protests over the economy.
In a social media post, President Donald Trump thanked Tehran's leaders, saying they had called off mass hangings. Iran said there was "no plan to hang people."
Khamenei said "several thousand deaths" had happened during the nationwide protests, which are Iran's worst unrest in years.
"Those linked to Israel and the US caused massive damage and killed several thousand," he said, adding that they started fires, destroyed public property and incited chaos. They "committed crimes and a grave slander," he said.
Last week, Iran's prosecutor general said detainees would face severe punishment. Those held included people who "aided rioters and terrorists attacking security forces and public property" and "mercenaries who took up arms and spread fear among citizens," he said.
"All perpetrators are mohareb," state media quoted Mohammed Movahedi Azad as saying, adding that investigations would be conducted "without leniency, mercy or tolerance."
Mohareb, an Islamic legal term meaning to wage war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.
State media have reported the arrest of thousands of "rioters and terrorists" across the country, including people linked to opposition groups abroad.
The arrests included several people Iranian state media described as "ringleaders," including a woman named as Nazanin Baradaran, who was taken into custody following “complex intelligence operations".
The reports said that Baradaran operated under the pseudonym Raha Parham on behalf of Reza Pahlavi and had played a leading role in organising the unrest. Reuters could not verify the report or her identity.
