U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s leaders not to harm peaceful protesters. He said that the U.S. “will come to their rescue.”
In a short post on social media, he stated, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” but he did not give further details.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded, advising Trump to “be careful” if he intervenes, warning of potential chaos across the Middle East.
Reports indicate that at least eight people have been killed in Iran following almost a week of mass protests triggered by worsening economic conditions.
In his post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
The U.S. President did not specify what actions Washington might take against the Iranian authorities.
In June, the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites under Trump’s orders. American officials later argued that these strikes significantly hindered Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, a claim disputed by Iran.
In retaliation, Iran launched a missile attack on a major U.S. military base in Qatar.
Khamenei Adviser Warns Trump
Shortly after Donald Trump’s latest social media post, Ali Larijani, an adviser to Khamenei, issued his own warning.
“Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and jeopardizing America’s interests,” he wrote.
However, some protesters expressed that intervention from the US would be welcome.
“They [security forces] are afraid and shake to their bones when Mr. Trump or Mr. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu says something,” a young woman protesting in Tehran told the BBC’s Newshour programme. Preferring to remain anonymous for her own safety, she mentioned that protesters had been seeking US support for years because the security forces “believe that if Trump says something, he will do it,” and they “know that if anything happens, they would have to face the consequences.”
Casualties Amid Protests
On Thursday, six people in Iran were reported to have been killed during the fifth day of protests. According to the semi-official Fars news agency and the human rights group Hengaw, two people died in clashes between protesters and security forces in the southwestern city of Lordegan. They were identified as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh, both confirmed as protesters.
Three individuals were reported killed in Azna, and another died in Kouhdasht, all in the western part of the country. Fars did not specify whether these victims were demonstrators or security force members. Additionally, one death was reported in Fuladshahr, central Iran, and another casualty occurred in Marvdasht, in the south.
Footage shared on social media depicted cars set on fire during violent confrontations between protesters and security forces.
Earlier, Iranian officials stated that a young member of the country’s security forces had been killed on Wednesday in the western city of Kouhdasht. However, protesters claimed that the man was actually one of their own and had been shot dead by the security forces.
On Friday, clashes erupted during the burial ceremony for the slain man, which was attended by thousands of mourners. Uniformed members of the security forces attempted to carry his coffin, but the crowd wrested it from them and chased them away.
Why Protests Erupted Across the Country?
The protests started on Sunday in Tehran, driven by shopkeepers’ anger over another significant decline in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, against the US dollar in the open market.
By Tuesday, university students had joined the demonstrations, which spread to several cities, with many people chanting against the country’s clerical leaders.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that he will listen to the “legitimate demands” of the protesters.
In response, the country’s Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, warned that any attempt to create instability would be met with a “decisive response.”
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