US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, urging the country’s 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 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.” He provided no further details on potential US actions.
Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded by warning that any American interference would destabilise the region and undermine US interests.
The warnings come amid ongoing protests across Iran sparked by worsening economic conditions. On Thursday, at least six people were reported killed during clashes with security forces. Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights group, identified two of those killed in Lordegan as protesters Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. Additional deaths were reported in Azna and Kouhdasht, though the semi-official Fars news agency did not clarify whether the victims were demonstrators or security personnel.
Footage circulating on social media shows clashes between protesters and security forces, with cars set ablaze in cities including Lordegan, Tehran, and Marvdasht. BBC Persian has verified some of the videos.
The unrest began on Sunday in Tehran, initially involving shopkeepers protesting the sharp fall of the Iranian rial against the US dollar. By Tuesday, university students had joined, and demonstrations spread to multiple cities, with chants against the clerical leadership. Some protesters have called for the end of Supreme Leader Khamenei’s rule, while others have expressed support for a return to monarchy.
Authorities reported that a member of the security forces was killed in Kouhdasht on Wednesday, though protesters claim the individual was shot by security forces.
The current protests are the largest since the 2022 nationwide unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, though they remain smaller in scale.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said he is prepared to listen to the “legitimate demands” of demonstrators, while Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that any attempt to create instability would face a “decisive response.”
The situation has heightened international tensions, with Trump’s warning and Tehran’s response signalling the potential for broader conflict.