Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday claimed that the widespread protests in his country are driven by fringe elements.
In a statement on Iranian television, Khamenei declared that Tehran "will not retreat even a millimeter from its principles," emphasizing Iran's firm stance against external pressures.
Attacking US President Donald Trump, he warned, "The US President should focus on his own country's problems."
"Some of those inciting the riots want to please the American President by vandalizing public property. The united Iranian people will defeat all enemies," he added.
"The US President should know that all dictators fell at the peak of their power. The hands of the US are stained with the blood of more than 1,000 Iranian leaders and innocent civilians," Khamenei concluded.