Iran's supreme leader says country has 'extinguished sedition'

CAIRO -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Iran had defeated the United States and Israel "once again" and had "extinguished the sedition" he alleged was incited by Washington and Tel Aviv.

The remarks, posted on Khamenei's official X account, came as Iranian authorities appeared to have brought the situation under control following weeks of nationwide protests.

Khamenei also described U.S. President Donald Trump as a "criminal" for his administration's support of the demonstrations, accusing Washington of inflicting economic and social harm on the Iranian people.

"America's goal is to swallow up Iran," Khamenei said. "Iran will not engage in war, but it will not refrain from punishing those responsible for unrest, both inside the country and abroad."

Protests erupted in late December in several Iranian cities, initially driven by a sharp depreciation of the rial and surging inflation. While authorities acknowledged the legitimacy of economic grievances, they warned that lawful demonstrations had been hijacked by "vandals."

The unrest intensified in early January, becoming increasingly violent and resulting in casualties as well as extensive damage to public property, including mosques and government buildings. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that security forces have detained about 3,000 people in connection with the "riots."