US President Donald Trump has warned Iran against the violent suppression of ongoing protests, saying Washington would intervene if peaceful demonstrators were killed. In a brief post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote: “If Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” adding in a separate message: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” The remarks drew a swift response from Tehran, with Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cautioning the US president against interference. “Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests,” he wrote, warning of wider chaos across the Middle East.
Trump did not specify what form any US action might take. His comments come months after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June on his orders, which US officials said significantly delayed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, a claim disputed by Iran. Tehran later retaliated with a missile strike on a major US military base in Qatar.
Meanwhile, violence has accompanied nearly a week of protests across Iran, triggered by worsening economic conditions and a sharp fall in the value of the rial. At least six people were reported killed on Thursday, according to Iranian media and human rights groups, though the BBC has not been able to independently verify the deaths.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported two deaths in clashes in the south-western city of Lordegan, three in Azna, and one in Kouhdasht, all in western Iran, without specifying whether the victims were protesters or security personnel. The Kurdish rights group Hengaw said the two killed in Lordegan were protesters, identifying them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh.
Verified videos seen by BBC Persian showed protests in several cities, including Tehran, Lordegan, and Marvdasht, as well as cars set alight during clashes with security forces. Iranian officials have also claimed that a member of the security forces was killed earlier in the unrest, a claim disputed by protesters.
The demonstrations began on Sunday among Tehran shopkeepers and quickly spread to universities and other cities, with chants against Iran’s clerical leadership and calls by some for the end of Khamenei’s rule or even a return to monarchy. President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he will listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands,” but Prosecutor-General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that any attempt to create instability would face a “decisive response.”
