US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, urging its authorities not to harm peaceful protesters and declaring that the United States “will come to their rescue.”
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote: “If Iran shots [sic] and violently k!lls 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.” He did not provide further details on the potential US response.
The warning drew a swift reaction from Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who cautioned that any US intervention would destabilise the region and threaten American interests.
The latest unrest in Iran comes amid widespread protests over worsening economic conditions, with at least six people reported killed on Thursday. The semi-official Fars news agency and human rights group Hengaw reported deaths in the cities of Lordegan, Azna, and Kouhdasht. Hengaw identified two of those killed in Lordegan as protesters, Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. BBC verification confirms videos showing clashes in Lordegan, Tehran, and Marvdasht.
Protests erupted on Sunday in Tehran after the Iranian rial sharply fell against the US dollar, initially led by shopkeepers. By Tuesday, university students joined in, and demonstrations spread to multiple cities, with chants against the clerical leadership. Some protesters have called for an end to Khamenei’s rule, and others have expressed support for a return to the monarchy.
Iranian officials reported that a member of the security forces was killed on Wednesday in Kouhdasht, although protesters claim the man was a demonstrator shot by authorities.
The unrest echoes the nationwide protests of 2022 triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody, though the current demonstrations have not reached the same scale.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed willingness to hear the “legitimate demands” of the protesters, while Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that attempts to create instability would be met with a “decisive response.”
Tensions remain high, with Trump’s warning and Larijani’s caution underscoring the growing international dimension of the crisis.
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