Iran Faces Deadly Turmoil: Khamenei Accuses US of Fueling Chaos as UN Slams Brutal Crackdown

Iran Faces Deadly Turmoil: Khamenei Accuses US of Fueling Chaos as UN Slams Brutal Crackdown

As the crisis unfolds, the international community watches closely, calling for restraint and dialogue to avert further tragedy in a nation already grappling with profound economic and social challenges.

By RMN News Service
New Delhi | January 18, 2026

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly confirmed that thousands of individuals have lost their lives amid widespread protests sweeping the nation, while deflecting blame onto the United States and Israel for the escalating violence. This admission comes as the United Nations sharply criticizes the Iranian authorities for their harsh suppression of demonstrators.

In a televised address on Saturday, Khamenei described the deaths as occurring in a “brutal and barbaric fashion” in some instances. Instead of accepting accountability for the government’s actions, he attributed the devastation to foreign adversaries, alleging that agents connected to the US and Israel inflicted severe harm on the country. Khamenei went further, branding US President Donald Trump as a “criminal” and asserting that America should face consequences for what he called defamation and aggression against Iran. On social media, he claimed Washington’s broader ambition is to “dominate and absorb” the Islamic Republic.

The unrest ignited on December 28, 2025, sparked by a deepening economic crisis characterized by rampant inflation and the dramatic devaluation of the Iranian rial, which plummeted to an all-time low of 1.4 million per US dollar. Initially a strike by merchants in Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar, the movement rapidly expanded into a broad uprising involving over 100 cities, where protesters called for sweeping political reforms.

The toll on human life has been devastating, according to various reports:

– The Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the US, estimates 3,090 fatalities.
– UN sources indicate that thousands more have been detained, with hospitals straining under the influx of injured people, including minors.
– Verified videos have captured security personnel deploying lethal firepower against crowds.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk voiced deep dismay over the intensifying bloodshed. He denounced the regime’s tactic of branding nonviolent protesters as “terrorists” to rationalize excessive force, affirming that citizens possess an inherent right to assemble and advocate for equity and accountability. Türk highlighted concerns about accelerated trials potentially leading to capital punishment for demonstrators and urged an urgent halt to the fatalities, warning that the “spiral of appalling brutality must end.”

Accessing reliable updates from within Iran proves challenging due to an extensive blackout of internet and phone services, with online activity dipping to roughly 2% of normal levels last Saturday. Local accounts suggest that law enforcement is holding the line in key areas, though tensions simmer just below the surface.

On the global stage, the situation has heightened geopolitical strains. President Trump has encouraged the protesters to persist, while the US State Department issued a stern advisory: any assault on American installations by Iran would provoke a “massive and decisive retaliation.” As a safeguard, the United States and United Kingdom have scaled back staffing at Qatar’s Al-Udeid air base.

As the crisis unfolds, the international community watches closely, calling for restraint and dialogue to avert further tragedy in a nation already grappling with profound economic and social challenges.