President Donald Trump called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's nearly four-decade rule on Saturday, marking his most direct statement yet on regime change in Iran since protests engulfed the country beginning in late December.

"It's time to look for new leadership in Iran," Trump told Politico in an interview. "The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people. His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership."

Trump's remarks came after he was read a series of posts that Khamenei had made on the social media platform X earlier in the day. The president characterized Iran's rulers as relying on repression and violence to govern.

"What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before," Trump said, according to Politico. "In order to keep the country functioning — even though that function is a very low level — the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control."

"Leadership is about respect, not fear and death," Trump added.

Khamenei Blames Trump for Protest Deaths

The rhetorical exchange began earlier Saturday when Khamenei delivered a televised speech acknowledging that "several thousand" Iranians had been killed during the protests that began December 28. It was the first time an Iranian leader had provided an indication of the scale of casualties from the crackdown.

Khamenei accused Trump of being a "criminal" for supporting demonstrators and blamed protesters for causing the deaths. "We find the US president guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation," Khamenei wrote on X, according to the Associated Press.

The 86-year-old supreme leader claimed that the United States had orchestrated the unrest and that Trump had personally encouraged "seditionists" by promising military support. "The US President sent a message to the seditionists saying he would support them and provide military support. In other words, the US President himself was involved in the sedition. These are criminal acts," Khamenei wrote.

Iran's leadership has repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting the protests, which initially broke out in response to deteriorating economic conditions including high inflation and a collapsed currency before escalating into calls for an end to clerical rule.

Tehran Warns of 'All-Out War'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, considered one of the more reformist figures in the government, issued a rare threat on Sunday in response to Trump's call for new leadership.

"If the people of Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives, one of the main reasons for it is the longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the United States government and its allies," Pezeshkian wrote on social media, according to the Washington Examiner. "Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation."

The statement marked a departure from Pezeshkian's typically conciliatory rhetoric. The Iranian president has faced pressure to defend the government's increasingly severe response to demonstrations.

Iran's judiciary also signaled that executions of detained protesters may proceed. "A series of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments," judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said at a press conference Sunday, according to Reuters. Mohareb, meaning to wage war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.

Trump had earlier praised Iran for what he said was a decision to cancel over 800 scheduled executions. "The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago," Trump told Politico, referring to Khamenei.

Death Toll Estimates Continue to Rise

The scale of casualties from Iran's crackdown remains difficult to verify due to a near-total internet blackout that authorities imposed on January 8. However, multiple sources indicate the death toll has reached into the thousands.

An Iranian official told Reuters that at least 5,000 people had been killed during the protests, including approximately 500 security personnel. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Saturday that its verified death toll had reached 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under review. The agency also confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.

The crackdown represents the deadliest period of unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Witnesses have reported security forces firing directly on groups of protesters, and videos circulating on social media, some verified by Reuters, have shown security forces crushing demonstrations across the country.

On Saturday, text messaging and limited internet services briefly resumed in parts of Iran before being shut down again, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. The extent of access and the reason for the temporary restoration remained unclear.

U.S. Military Posture and Diplomatic Status

The Trump administration has moved military assets toward the Middle East in recent weeks, though the president has not specified what action he might take. Earlier this month, Trump warned that the United States was "locked and loaded and ready to go" if Iran continued killing protesters or executed detainees.

The administration announced sanctions Thursday targeting five top Iranian officials it blames for the crackdown. Among those sanctioned was Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme Council for National Security, whom the Treasury Department described as "one of the first Iranian leaders to call for violence in response to the legitimate demands of the Iranian people."

At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the administration was still attempting to de-escalate but that "all options are on the table" to stop the violence, according to Straight Arrow News.

Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, questioned whether military action would achieve the administration's goals. "Would it make a difference? I mean, there's no question that the United States could take out their navy, could bomb their air bases, could create a lot of havoc for the military, but the repression, of course, is being done by guys with AK-47s on the street, jumping off of motorcycles," Himes told Fox News Sunday, according to the Washington Times.

"It's not clear to me that the United States taking out their navy or their air bases is necessarily going to result in success for this uprising against the regime," Himes added.