Trump Calls for ‘New Leadership’ in Iran, Says ‘Sick Man’ Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Has Made Nation ‘Worst Place to Live’

President Donald Trump, responding to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s attempt to blame him for recent protester deaths, slammed the Iranian Supreme Leader as a “sick man” and called for “new leadership,” declaring: “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

On Saturday, in remarks reported by Politico, President Trump said, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” as he rebuked the aging Iranian dictator following Khamenei’s labeling of Trump a “criminal” and accusing him of stoking “sedition” inside the Islamic Republic.

“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 stated.

He went on to contrast Iran’s internal chaos with American stability under his own leadership.

“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,” he stated, “and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”

“Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” he added.

Describing Khamenei as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” President Trump underscored the dire state of the Iranian people under hardline rule. 

“His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,” he concluded.

The matter follows a string of inflammatory statements Khamenei posted on X, accusing Trump of “sedition” and labeling him a “criminal” responsible for protester deaths.

President Trump’s criticism followed widespread reports of brutal crackdowns on Iranian demonstrators, part of a long pattern of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings under the regime. His comments mark a renewed call for regime change, drawing sharp contrast with years of Obama-Biden appeasement and failed nuclear diplomacy.

The latest developments unfold as the United States visibly shifts military assets toward the Middle East. The Pentagon has confirmed the redeployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group from the Indo-Pacific theater, part of what appears to be a broader adjustment involving multiple U.S. supercarriers and strike groups worldwide. Defense officials have emphasized that the moves are designed to ensure rapid response capability as regional tensions escalate and Iran’s internal unrest deepens.

That military posture has been paired with an intensified economic campaign targeting Iran’s ruling elite. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sweeping new sanctions against senior regime officials and regime-linked financial networks accused of financing Tehran’s violent crackdown, warning that Iran’s leaders are “like rats fleeing a sinking ship” as they scramble to move tens of millions of dollars abroad. The combined pressure — military, economic, and diplomatic — underscores Washington’s readiness to act decisively as the regime escalates its repression and regional threats.