Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian [AP=Yonhap News]

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on social media on the 19th (local time), "An attack on our nation's Supreme Leader is equivalent to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation."

He further claimed, "One of the reasons for the hardship and difficulties in the lives of the beloved Iranian people is the long-standing hostility and inhumane sanctions from the US government and its allies."

His message appears to be aimed at recent remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding "regime change in Iran."

In an interview with the US political media outlet Politico on the 17th, President Trump said, "It's time to find a new leadership in Iran." This implies an end to the 37-year rule of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

President Trump criticized the Iranian authorities' harsh crackdown on anti-government protests, stating, "As a leader of a country, his (Khamenei's) crime is completely destroying the country and using violence at a level never seen before."

The anti-government protests in Iran, which began last month and resulted in numerous casualties, have recently entered a lull, but Iranian authorities are blaming external forces such as the US and Israel.