Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that any attack on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would constitute "all-out war" with the Iranian nation,

The Iranian president posted the statement in response to reports the United States is considering military strikes including targeting the Iranian leader with battleships on the way to the Persian Gulf.

"Any aggression against the supreme leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian wrote on social media platform X. "If the people of Iran face hardship and difficulties in their lives, one of the main reasons for it is the long-standing enmity and inhumane sanctions imposed by the US government and its allies."

The statement came amid mounting domestic unrest and US President Donald Trump's repeated warnings that Washington would intervene militarily if Tehran continues killing protesters.

Media reports suggest the Trump administration is weighing four intervention scenarios, ranging from limited strikes on Revolutionary Guard facilities to targeting Khamenei himself, The Telegraph reported earlier.

Pezeshkian's comments drew immediate criticism from opponents of the Islamic Republic. Academic Sharif Zarchi responded with harsh condemnation of Khamenei, writing: "Damn the bloodthirsty regime that massacred thousands of Iranians. Damn the executioner Khamenei, whose only rival in killing Iranians in contemporary history is Saddam Hussein."

The Iranian president has previously described the situation as a "full-fledged war" with the United States, Israel and Europe.

In a December interview published on Khamenei's official website, he said Western powers are besieging Iran "economically, culturally, politically, and security-wise", comparing current pressures to the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

The warnings follow deadly protests across Iran that erupted in late December over economic hardship.

Rights groups report at least 3,500 people killed in the crackdown, whilst opposition groups and others report figures as high as 16,000.

In interviews with bne IntelliNews, several people who had been in contact with family members in Tehran said they were “still looking for cousins and family members” while another said “two of my family were shot in the recent protests.”

In a third interview, an Iranian based in the US said that he was still looking for his sister who was arrested and incarcerated in the notorious Evin prison, on January 15, along with others who were protesting.

The person said, “I have no idea if she will be killed by these people, she was protesting in the Piroozi area of Tehran.”