Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Associated PressJanuary 16, 2026 at 05:00 PM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

During Friday prayers in Tehran, hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of arrested protesters amid ongoing unrest in Iran. The protests, which began on December 28 due to economic grievances, have evolved into challenges against the Iranian government. Khatami, a prominent religious figure, accused the protesters of being agents of Israel and the United States. He also directly threatened former U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with retaliation. The Iranian government has reportedly intensified a crackdown on dissent, including internet shutdowns and violence, resulting in thousands of deaths according to a U.S.-based human rights group.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Assembly of Experts 35% Guardian Council 35% Israel 40% Human Rights Activists News Agency 50% Benjamin Netanyahu ×260% Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 60% United States ×270% Iran ×580% Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami ×385% Donald Trump ×490%

Keywords

iran protests 100% death penalty 90% crackdown 80% donald trump 70% ahmad khatami 60% theocracy 60% ailing economy 50% islamic republic 50% human rights 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Network visualization showing 4 related topics

View Full Graph

iran protests death penalty crackdown donald trump ahmad khatami theocracy ailing economy islamic republic human rights

Explore Full Topic Graph