TEHRAN — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday acknowledged the economic demands of protesters in the country, where demonstrations have spread to more than two dozen cities over the past week, even as he warned there would be no quarter for “rioters.”

He also vowed not to yield after US President Donald Trump threatened to come to the aid of protesters if they were harmed.

The protests began on Sunday as an expression of discontent over high prices and economic stagnation, but have since expanded to include political demands.

“The president and high-ranking officials are working to resolve” the economic difficulties in the sanctions-battered country, Khamenei said in a speech marking a Shiite holiday. “The shopkeepers have protested against this situation, and that is completely fair.”

But Khamenei nonetheless warned that while “authorities must have dialogue with protesters, it is useless to have dialogue with rioters. Those must be put in their place.”

Trump on Friday said the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if protesters are killed, but did not specify what action it might take against Iran, where it carried out airstrikes last summer, joining an Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear sites and military leaders.

The threat of action adds to the pressure on Iran’s leaders as they navigate one of the most difficult periods in decades, with the sanctions-hit economy shrinking and the government struggling to provide water and electricity in some regions.

Protests continued well into the night inside Iran, as seen here in 1. Isfahan 2. smashing down gates of a........

© The Times of Israel