Khamenei, the leader of Iran, accuses Trump of encouraging fatal demonstrations.

TEHRAN (Reuters) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, blamed President Donald Trump on Saturday for weeks of protests after human rights organizations said thousands of people had died in a harsh crackdown by security forces.

Widespread protests demanding the abolition of clerical control in the Islamic Republic began on December 28 due to economic hardship.

Trump has made many threats to step in, including saying he would “take very strong action” if Iran put demonstrators to death.

However, he congratulated Tehran’s officials in a social media post on Friday, stating that the mass hangings had been canceled. Iran declared that “no plan to hang people” existed.

Khamenei reportedly responded to Trump by saying, “We will not drag the country into war, but we will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished,” according to state media.

Iran accuses Israel and the United States of planning protests.

Iran’s clerical establishment accuses armed rioters posing as protesters of being responsible for the violence in the country’s protests, calling them “terrorists.” It also claims that Israel and the US organized the protests and were largely to blame for the deaths of security personnel and demonstrators.

“We consider the US president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei stated.

He said that “those linked to Israel and the US caused massive damage and killed several thousand,” adding that they incited anarchy, set fires, and damaged public property.

They “committed crimes and a grave slander,” he claimed.