Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a hard-line Iranian cleric close to the regime, on Friday openly called for the execution of protesters in Tehran as the Islamic Republic intensifies its crackdown on demonstrations spreading through the capital.
“Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” Khatami declared in a sermon broadcast on Iranian state radio, according to The Associated Press.
Khatami’s remarks underscore what many conservatives have long argued: Iran’s leadership is not a conventional government but a revolutionary theocracy that rules through intimidation, mass arrests, and violence—especially when faced with internal dissent.
Regime turns its fury toward Trump and Israel
Khatami also aimed his threats at President Donald Trump, who has warned the Iranian regime that executions of demonstrators would cross a red line that could trigger a U.S. military response.
Khatami described the demonstrators as “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers,” accusing both men of “disintegrating the country.”
“They should wait for hard revenge from the system,” Khatami said of Netanyahu and Trump, per the AP. “Americans and Zionists should not expect peace.”
For Republican-leaning Americans who view Iran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, Khatami’s comments serve as another reminder that Tehran’s ruling clerics continue to treat the United States—and Trump in particular—as an enemy to be threatened, not a partner for diplomacy.
Iranian state TV escalates rhetoric against Trump
The comments come amid renewed concerns over inflammatory messaging carried by Iranian state media. Iran’s government-controlled television networks—which operate as propaganda arms of the regime—have repeatedly aired hostile messaging targeting the United States and Israel, including threatening rhetoric directed at President Trump.
Iran’s state broadcasters have often been used to amplify the regime’s “Death to America” ideology, glorify attacks against U.S. interests, and signal the leadership’s intent to retaliate against Western pressure. That same infrastructure is now being used to justify domestic repression, painting protesters as foreign agents rather than Iranian citizens demanding freedom.
Judiciary chief pushes for “fast” punishment
Khatami’s call for executions followed remarks earlier this week from Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, who urged rapid action against protesters.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Mohseni-Ejei said, according to The Associated Press, citing a video from Iranian state television.
“If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast,” he added.
His statement reflects a familiar authoritarian playbook: move quickly and harshly to crush resistance before it spreads—through intimidation, public punishment, and fear.
Trump says executions halted after U.S. warning
Iranian shopkeeper Erfan Soltani was expected to be among the first to face the death penalty, but the Trump administration said hundreds of executions were halted following the president’s intervention. Trump on Wednesday said he’d been told by good sources that Iran would not proceed with executions.
On Tuesday, Trump canceled talks with Iranian leaders and issued a blunt message of support to demonstrators.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
The president has said any acts of violence against protesters would draw a “strong” response from the U.S., while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters “all options remain on the table.”
To Republicans who supported Trump’s maximum-pressure strategy, the moment is being viewed as a test of whether deterrence still works: the U.S. draws a clear line, and hostile regimes back down when they believe America is serious.
Death toll rises as Iran tightens grip
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported 2,797 deaths in Iran amid the government crackdown as of Friday afternoon.
