ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the demands of protesters in the country are "completely fair," though warning that rioters must "be put in their place" as Tehran struggles with spiralling economic conditions.

Speaking to mark a Shiite holiday, Khamenei said hostile forces take advantage of any opportunity to destabilize the country but asserted that the Iranian people will ultimately prevail through unity and perseverance.

Iran has been wracked with protests since Sunday that began when bazaaris in Tehran took to the streets to demonstrate against the catastrophic effects the Iranian rial's devaluation is having on their livelihoods.

"Bazaar merchants are among the most loyal supporters of the Islamic Republic and their protests over price instability and trade problems are justified," he asserted, adding that government officials, including the president, are working to resolve these issues.

Despite an official line toward acknowledging protesters’ demands, Iranian authorities have been accused of violently clamping down on gatherings, with multiple demonstrators having been killed.

Khamenei said that "it is useless to have dialogue with rioters. Those must be put in their place," adding that those who chant anti-Islam or anti-Iran slogans and exploit protests to create chaos must be contained.

The supreme leader blamed sharp and “unnatural” fluctuations in the exchange rate on external enemies rather than market forces, calling for firm measures to stop them.

He added that groups operating under different names to destabilize the country by hiding behind legitimate protesters, particularly bazaar merchants, are acting in an unacceptable manner and threatening national security.

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to intervene should Iran begin killing protesters, a practice he said is the government's "custom."

“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said in a post on the Truth Social media outlet.

Iran’s judiciary has warned demonstrators and ordered legal action against those accused of disrupting the market and public security, warning that they could face charges often punishable by death under the Islamic Republic’s judicial system. 

Charges include “corruption on Earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), “enmity against God” (moharebeh), and “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi).