U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to Iran’s leadership, threatening to intervene in support of protesters if Iranian security forces intensify their crackdown, as deadly unrest continues to spread across the country amid soaring inflation and deepening economic hardship.
In a statement posted on social media hours before he launched military attacks on Venezuela, Trump said the United States was prepared to act if Iranian forces opened fire on demonstrators. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he wrote, escalating already heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The warning comes just months after the United States bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June, joining an Israeli air campaign that targeted Iran’s atomic programme and senior military leadership. Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran against resuming nuclear or ballistic missile activities, signalling that further military action remains an option.
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Iranian officials swiftly rejected Trump’s remarks, accusing Washington of unlawful threats and interference. In a strongly worded response, Tehran said it would “exercise its rights decisively and proportionately,” adding that the United States would bear “full responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats and any ensuing escalation.”
Deadly Protests and Economic Anger
The current wave of protests was triggered by rising inflation and worsening living conditions. While smaller in scale than some previous uprisings, demonstrations have spread across multiple provinces, with the most violent clashes reported in western regions of the country.
State-affiliated media and human rights groups say at least 10 people have been killed since Wednesday. Among the dead are two men identified by authorities as members of the Basij paramilitary force, which is affiliated with Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
The unrest represents the most serious internal challenge to Iranian authorities since the nationwide protests of 2022, which erupted after the death of a young woman in police custody and left hundreds dead, according to rights groups.
Gunshots, Fires and Arrests
Video footage verified by Reuters showed dozens of people gathered outside a burning police station overnight as gunshots rang out and crowds shouted “shameless, shameless” at security forces.
In the southern city of Zahedan, home to Iran’s Baluch minority, the human rights group Hengaw reported protesters chanting slogans including “Death to the dictator.” Hengaw said at least 133 people have been arrested, mostly in western Iran.
State television also reported arrests in the western city of Kermanshah, where authorities said suspects were manufacturing petrol bombs and homemade pistols. Iranian media further claimed that two heavily armed individuals were detained in central and western regions before they could carry out attacks.
Additional reports described protests late on Friday in several cities, including three districts of the capital, Tehran. In the eastern Narmak district, protesters were said to have set fire to a police vehicle and a motorcycle. Reuters noted that it could not independently verify all reports of deaths, arrests or unrest.
Maximum Pressure Returns
Trump’s comments follow his recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime advocate of military action against Iran. The U.S. president warned of fresh strikes if Tehran restarted sensitive nuclear work, reinforcing his long-standing “maximum pressure” policy.
Washington has maintained sweeping financial sanctions on Iran, particularly since Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. The pressure on Tehran has intensified further following Israeli and U.S. strikes last year, the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and heavy Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, Iran’s key regional ally.
Mixed Signals From Tehran
Despite the crackdown, Iran’s elected president Masoud Pezeshkian has adopted a more conciliatory tone, pledging dialogue with protest leaders over the cost-of-living crisis. Speaking before Trump’s latest threat, Pezeshkian acknowledged that government failings had contributed to the unrest.
However, hardline voices remain defiant. Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s National Security Council and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that “American people should know that Trump started the adventurism” and urged them to “watch over their soldiers.”
As protests continue and rhetoric hardens on both sides, analysts warn that the situation risks spiralling into a wider confrontation, with Iran’s internal unrest now intersecting with escalating regional and international tensions.
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