Iran leader claims US stirring up trouble

IRAN’S supreme leader accused the US of stirring up trouble in the country after anti-regime protestors defied threats of a crackdown and took to the streets for a second night running.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Washington had realised it could not overthrow the Islamic republic’s regime militarily and wanted to create trouble in Iran to divide the people and create a chasm between the regime and the population.

In a speech in the southern city of Varamin broadcast on state television, he said if the US “sees that disgruntled people and adventurers want to cause trouble, and if they can turn them into mercenaries, they will not hesitate to do so in giving them their support”.