Jan 18, Kathmandu - US President Donald Trump has strongly criticized the long rule of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying it is "time for new leadership" in the Islamic republic.

President Trump's remarks come as anti-government protests spread in Iran amid soaring inflation, a deepening economic crisis and growing public anger at the regime.

In an interview with Politico, President Trump accused Tehran’s leadership of resorting to violence and repression to maintain power.

“As the leader of the country, he is responsible for the near total destruction of his country and the use of violence on a scale never seen in history,” Trump said in Politico. “To keep a country running — even if it’s a low-level job — the leadership has to focus on running their own country properly, as I have done in the United States. It doesn’t have to kill thousands of innocent people to maintain control.”

According to President Trump, true leadership is built on respect, not fear and death. He personally criticized Khamenei, calling him a “sick man” and saying that Iran is one of the worst places to live in the world due to weak leadership. “He should run his country well and stop killing his own people,” Trump said.

President Trump’s comments came after Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei, in a series of posts on social media, blamed the United States for the unrest and casualties in Iran. Khamenei accused the US president of misrepresenting the true will of the Iranian people and supporting violent groups.

"The US president presented the groups that vandalized, arsonized, and killed people as the 'Iranian nation.' He made a terrible accusation against the Iranian people. We hold the US president responsible for this defamation," Khamenei wrote.

He further alleged, “The US President gave a message of support to the traitors and provided them with military assistance. In other words, the US President himself is involved in treason. These are criminal acts.”

The comments between Trump and Khamenei have further exposed the increasingly heated rhetoric between Washington and Tehran, and analysts say they also highlight the ongoing political instability within Iran and the deepening divisions over the regime.