A chilling call for retribution echoed from the pulpit in Iran, as a powerful cleric demanded the death penalty for those arrested during weeks of nationwide protests. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s words, broadcast across the nation, ignited a fervor among worshippers, signaling a hardening stance against the ongoing unrest challenging the Islamic regime.
The pronouncements followed a direct challenge from a world leader, with former President Trump having warned of potential U.S. intervention should the Iranian government resort to violence against its own people. Khatami’s sermon, delivered with stark conviction, unleashed a wave of support for harsh punishment, with attendees reportedly chanting for the execution of those deemed “armed hypocrites.”
This marked the first official accounting of the damage inflicted during the protests, which erupted in late December and were subsequently met with a nationwide internet blackout. The blackout, implemented on January 8th, effectively silenced the voices of dissent and obscured the true scale of the uprising.
Khatami detailed a landscape of destruction, claiming hundreds of religious sites were targeted. He reported 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls, and 20 other holy places sustained damage, painting a picture of deliberate attacks on the foundations of the theocracy.
The damage extended far beyond religious institutions, according to the cleric. He alleged that 400 hospitals, 106 ambulances, 71 fire department vehicles, and 50 emergency vehicles were also damaged, suggesting a widespread campaign of disruption and chaos.
Adding a personal dimension to the alleged attacks, Khatami stated that 80 homes belonging to Friday prayer leaders were also vandalized. This targeting of influential religious figures suggests a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of the government and its representatives.
Khatami framed the protests as a calculated assault on the very core of Iranian faith, warning that the demonstrators sought to sever the nation’s connection to religion. He insisted the unrest was not spontaneous, but a long-planned conspiracy designed to destabilize the country.
The cleric, a close ally of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a member of both the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council, has consistently condemned the protesters. He previously labeled them as agents of foreign powers, specifically accusing them of being “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers.”
Khamenei echoed these sentiments, accusing the protesters of deliberately damaging their own communities in an attempt to appease foreign leaders. This rhetoric reinforces the regime’s narrative of external interference and portrays the protests as a betrayal of national interests.
Trump’s earlier statements had signaled a willingness to support the Iranian people, even hinting at military intervention if the regime responded with excessive force. While the extent of potential U.S. action remains unclear, speculation has been fueled by past events, including reported actions against Iranian nuclear sites and the capture of a foreign leader.
