"If You're Capable...": Iran's Khamenei Jabs Trump Over "No Kings" Protests
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has mocked US President Donald Trump amid growing 'No King' protests against his administration's policies on immigration, education and security that organisers say are pushing the country toward autocracy.
In a statement on X, Khamenei raised doubts over the US leader's 'capabilities', saying if he's capable, Trump should curb the resistance brewing against him in America.
"According to the reports, seven million people are chanting slogans against this individual in different states across America. If you're that capable, calm them down, send them back to their residences, and don't interfere in the affairs of other countries," the Iranian leader wrote on X. He also shared the snapshot from 'No King' protests across different US states.
The jab came a day after Iran's hardline leader rejected an offer of renewed talks from the United States and denied Trump's assertion that the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities were destroyed in an airstrike in June this year. Khamenei also questioned what authority Washington has to dictate which country can possess a nuclear industry. "What position do you hold in the world? How is it any of America's business whether Iran has nuclear capabilities and a nuclear industry or not?" he asked further.
No King Protests Against Trump
Huge crowds took to the streets in all 50 US states at "No Kings" protests on Saturday, venting anger over Trump's hardline policies, while Republicans ridiculed them as "Hate America" rallies. Organisers said seven million people marched in protests spanning New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in small cities across the US heartland and even near Trump's home in Florida.
"This is what democracy looks like!" chanted thousands in Washington near the US Capitol, where the federal government was shut down for a third week because of a legislative deadlock.
Colourful signs called on people to "protect democracy", while others demanded the country abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency at the centre of Trump's anti-immigrant crackdown. Demonstrators slammed what they called the Republican billionaire's strong-arm tactics, including attacks on the media, political opponents and undocumented immigrants.
Trump's response to Saturday's events was typically aggressive, with the US president posting a series of AI-generated videos to his Truth Social platform depicting him as a king. In one, he is shown wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet that drops what appears to be faeces on anti-Trump protesters.
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