United States President Donald Trump has warned Iranian authorities against using lethal force on peaceful protesters, saying Washington would intervene if demonstrators are killed.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said the United States was prepared to act, declaring: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” He did not specify the nature or scope of any potential response.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote.
The warning comes amid nearly a week of nationwide protests in Iran triggered by worsening economic conditions and the sharp fall of the national currency, the rial. At least eight people have been reported killed since demonstrations began, although the figures have not been independently verified.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reacted swiftly to Trump’s remarks. Ali Larijani warned that any US intervention would have serious regional consequences.
“Trump should be careful,” Larijani said in a social media post. “US interference in this internal matter would destabilise the entire region and destroy America’s interests.”
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high following US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities ordered by Trump in June. The US said the strikes significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a claim Tehran has rejected. Iran later retaliated with missile attacks on a major US military base in Qatar.
Meanwhile, reports of casualties have continued to emerge from various parts of Iran. On Thursday, at least six people were said to have been killed during clashes between protesters and security forces.
According to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency and the human rights group Hengaw, two protesters were killed in the south-western city of Lordegan. Additional deaths were reported in Azna and Kouhdasht in western Iran, though it remains unclear whether the victims were protesters or security personnel. Further fatalities were reported in Fuladshahr, central Iran, and Marvdasht in the south.
BBC Persian has verified video footage showing protests in several cities, including Tehran, Lordegan and Marvdasht, while social media videos show vehicles set ablaze during confrontations with security forces.
Iranian authorities earlier claimed that a member of the security forces was killed in Kouhdasht on Wednesday, a claim disputed by protesters, who said the victim was one of their own. Fresh clashes reportedly broke out during the burial ceremony, attended by thousands of mourners.
The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, initially led by shopkeepers angered by the currency collapse, before spreading to universities and other cities. Demonstrators have since expanded their demands, with chants directed against Iran’s clerical leadership. Some protesters have openly called for the end of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his administration would listen to what he described as the “legitimate demands” of protesters. However, Iran’s Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, has warned that any attempt to destabilise the country would be met with a “decisive response.”
The unrest marks the most significant wave of protests since the 2022 demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, though analysts say the current protests have not yet reached the same scale.