Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged Saturday that thousands of Iranians were killed during more than two weeks of unrest in the country, and he blamed the deaths on US President Donald Trump,

President Donald Trump has called for “new leadership” in Iran after reading a series of social media posts from the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on Saturday, POLITICO reported.

Iran's supreme leader Khamenei reportedly acknowledges thousands died in recent protests for the first time, as death toll estimates reach over 3,000.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for supporting Iranian protesters.

The ayatollah claimed in a defiant address that "the Iranian nation has defeated America" as Trump appeared to partially back away from threats to intervene.

There were growing signs that US military action on Iran might be imminent, then the US president suddenly changed his tune.

President Trump thanks Iran for stopping mass executions and signals a step back from earlier suggestions of possible U.S. military action as protests continue.

Khamenei said "several thousand deaths" happened during the protests, and accused the U.S. and Israel of organizing the violence.

President Donald Trump is delaying military action in Iran after claiming execution cancellations amid ongoing protests that have reportedly killed over 2,000 people.

Several Middle Eastern allies of the United States have urged the Trump administration to hold off on strikes against Iran for the government's deadly crackdown on protesters, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

Top Trump administration officials met Tuesday to further refine a set of options for the president to take action against Iran amid its deadly crackdown on protesters.