ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Donald Trump warned the Iranian government on Friday that Washington would come to the “rescue” of demonstrators if Tehran uses lethal force against protesters.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote in a message addressed to Tehran on his Truth Social platform.
The US president added, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Protests and strikes spread across several Iranian cities on Thursday, with reports of deadly clashes between demonstrators and security forces amid growing public anger over deteriorating economic conditions and the sharp collapse of Iran’s currency.
The unrest began in Tehran on Sunday, fueled by worsening economic hardships and the rapid devaluation of the national currency.
A total of seven protesters have reportedly been killed.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani lashed out at Trump's remarks.
Writing on X, Larijani said that statements by Israeli officials and Trump had made clear “what has been going on behind the scenes.”
“We distinguish between the stance of protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests,” Larijani warned.
He added, “The American people should know—Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
Iran’s currency has plunged in recent weeks amid renewed sanctions and mounting diplomatic pressure, trading at around 1.42 million rials to the dollar when protests erupted - up from about 820,000 rials a year ago. Inflation is estimated at nearly 50 percent, while rising import costs continue to erode living standards.
On Tuesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with labor leaders and pledged to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands” while working to safeguard livelihoods, according to the state-affiliated Mehr News Agency.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad said peaceful protest is legitimate but warned that any damage to public property would be met with a “decisive” response.
Updated at 12:48pm with Ali Larijani's statement