Trump calls for new leadership in Iran following nationwide protests

President Donald Trump on Saturday called for regime change in Iran following protests that have roiled the country in recent weeks.

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump told Politico in an interview.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Trump’s remarks.

Trump’s comments come after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered a defiant address Saturday in which he accused Trump of encouraging “agitators,” and said that Iran considers Trump “a criminal, both for the casualties, for the damages, and for the slander directed at the Iranian nation.”

He said key agitators had been detained, and the country’s semiofficial Fars news agency said protests had largely subsided.

Trump denounced Khamenei and Iran in his remarks to Politico, calling him “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”

“His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership,” Trump said.

A spokesperson for Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.

Thousands of protesters have been killed since the nationwide protests began. Earlier this week, Trump had urged Iranians to “take over institutions” and keep their protests going, telling them that “help is on its way.”

On Friday, he struck a different tone, saying he “greatly” respected that “over 800” scheduled hangings “have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran.” Iran’s judiciary said Thursday that a man facing the death penalty would not be executed. The White House did not provide a source for the claim that 800 people have been spared.

The massive crackdown on unrest has left at least 3,090 dead, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. It has also reported 22,123 arrests. Without the government's official count, HRANA says it relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information and that its data goes through “multiple internal checks.”

Khamenei on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that thousands had been killed, an official recognition of the death toll that was higher than a previous admission that hundreds had died.

A U.S. official told NBC News on Wednesday that the Defense Department is preparing to send additional U.S. forces and assets to the Middle East, intended to bolster security in the region and prepare for potential retaliation by Iran. The deployments include a carrier strike group, additional aircraft and land-based air defense systems, according to the official.

The U.S. also began evacuating key personnel from its largest military base in the Middle East on Wednesday as Trump weighed potential military action in Iran.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com