Protesters were "ruining their own streets" to please President Donald Trump, who has threatened intervention, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strikes a defiant tone against the U.S. after a night of massive anti-government protests.

Anti-government protests in Iran appeared to accelerate, sparked by economic woes and disillusionment with Tehran's clerical leaders.

Many Iranian opposition activists are hoping the current unrest could be the beginning of the end of the country's hardline Islamic regime.

Demonstrations broke out in Iran on Dec. 28 and have spread nationwide as protesters vent their increasing discontent over the Islamic Republic’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency.

Tens of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets on Friday night in a second night of mass, nationwide antigovernment protests despite a total internet blackout and threats of a severe crackdown from the senior Iranian leadership.

At least 62 people are reported to have been killed and 2,300 detained during weeks of protests initially sparked by anger over the country’s ailing economy.