00:00A red line has been drawn,
00:28and Tehran says crossing it means war.
00:32Iran's president has issued a blunt ultimatum to the United States.
00:36Any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
00:40will be treated as a declaration of war.
00:43The warning comes as Washington weighs its options
00:46amid Iran's deadliest unrest in decades.
00:50President Masoud Pazeshkian said targeting Khamenei
00:54would amount to war with the Iranian nation itself.
00:58His statement appears directly to answer speculation
01:01that President Donald Trump
01:03is considering drastic measures against Iran's leadership.
01:07Trump recently called for an end to Khamenei's nearly 40-year rule,
01:12branding him a sick man
01:14and accusing the regime of killing its own people.
01:17He urged Iranians to keep protesting,
01:20and even told them to take over your institutions.
01:24Behind the scenes, the situation came dangerously close to war.
01:28U.S. officials confirm military strikes on Iran were prepared,
01:33but ultimately paused.
01:35Reports say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
01:39and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged restraint,
01:43warning of severe retaliation.
01:46Iran's unrest began in late December, over inflation and a collapsing currency,
01:52then exploded into nationwide calls for regime change.
01:56Authorities responded with live ammunition, mass arrests,
02:00and a near-total Internet shutdown to conceal the scale of the crackdown.
02:05Iranian officials now acknowledge at least 5,000 deaths,
02:10including hundreds of security personnel.
02:13Rights groups say more than 24,000 protesters have been arrested.
02:17Khamenei himself admitted thousands were killed,
02:21blaming the U.S. for fueling unrest.
02:24In a fiery speech, Khamenei called Trump a criminal
02:28and called for strict punishment of protesters.
02:31While some Internet access has been partially restored,
02:34the streets remain under heavy security, and the anger has not disappeared.
02:40Iran is quiet, but only on the surface.
02:43Chants echo from windows after dark,
02:46and the standoff with Washington remains unresolved.
02:50Tehran's message is unmistakable.
02:53Touch the supreme leader, and the region could plunge into war.
03:04A sharp call for regime change from the White House.
03:32U.S. President Donald Trump is openly declaring it's time for new leadership in Iran,
03:38taking aim at supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's 37-year rule.
03:43The remarks come after weeks of deadly protests
03:46and a sharp escalation in rhetoric between Washington and Tehran.
03:52Speaking to Politico, Trump said plainly,
03:55it's time to look for new leadership in Iran.
03:58The statement marks one of his most explicit endorsements
04:01of political change in Tehran, even as nationwide protests appear to have slowed.
04:10Over the past three weeks,
04:12thousands of protesters were reportedly killed
04:14as Iran's security forces moved to crush dissent.
04:19Trump repeatedly warned of possible U.S. intervention,
04:22and urged Iranians to keep protesting, saying help was coming.
04:26Then came a reversal. Trump said he was told the killings had stopped,
04:33praising what he called Khamenei's decision not to carry out mass executions.
04:38The best decision he ever made, Trump said, referencing reports of halted hangings.
04:43You heard protesters in Iran earlier this week to keep fighting in the streets and said that help
04:48was on the way. Is help still on the way or has your bar for intervention?
04:52As you know, Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people.
04:56They were going to hang over 800 people yesterday,
05:00and I greatly respect the fact that they canceled them.
05:02The Iranian leader responded on social media,
05:05accusing Trump of responsibility for violence and unrest.
05:10Khamenei said Trump slandered Iran by portraying violent groups as representative of the people.
05:17Trump fired back, accusing Iran's rulers of governing through fear and bloodshed.
05:23He called Khamenei a sick man and blamed him for destroying Iran through repression,
05:28saying leadership should be built on respect, not death.
05:31The exchange highlights a dangerous moment.
05:35With protests, threats and personal attacks escalating,
05:40U.S.-Iran tensions are sharpening fast.
05:43Trump's message is unmistakable.
05:45He sees Iran's crisis not as temporary unrest, but as proof the system itself must change.
06:01The one India app now.
06:03The one India app now.
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