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,

Three former Iran political prisoners share harrowing accounts of detention abuse, warning the world about escalating violence during current uprising.

The country's leader criticized President Trump on Saturday, blaming him for "casualties, damages and accusations" against Iran.

The nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy appear increasingly smothered a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown.

Iran's supreme leader has for the first time publicly acknowledged that thousands of people were killed during recent protests. In a speech on Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said thousands had been killed, "some in an inhuman, savage manner", and blamed the US for the deaths.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday branded President Donald Trump a “criminal” for publicly backing the protests sweeping Iran, accusing the United States of fueling violence and saying U.S. agents have “murdered several thousand people,” according to a state broadcast and his social media posts.

A cleric leading prayers in Iran's capital has demanded the death penalty for detained protesters, showing the hard-line rage gripping the Islamic Republic.

Iran's ethnic minorities, comprising nearly 50% of the population, could prove decisive in ongoing anti-regime protests as Kurdish groups lead resistance.