1. Home
2. Middle East
3. Trump Says US Will 'Come To Their Rescue' If Iran Kills Protesters

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is "locked and loaded" to respond if Iran kills protesters, after cost-of-living demonstrations in the country turned deadly.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "if Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue." The Republican leader added, "We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” 

In response, Iran on Friday warned against any U.S. intervention in the country. "Any interventionist hand that attacks Iran's security under any pretext whatsoever will be exposed to a response," Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the supreme leader, wrote on X. "Iran's security is a red line."

Ali Larijani, who heads Iran's highest security body added, "Trump should know that any American interference in this internal matter would amount to destabilising the entire region and harming American interests.”

Arrest Count Rises

According to Iranian media, over 30 people were arrested Thursday on charges of “disrupting public order.” This marks the fifth day of protests that have engulfed the capital due to the high costs of living. Shopkeepers in the capital, Tehran, went on strike Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, actions that have since spread to other parts of the country.

Today’s protests are the biggest in Tehran since the demonstrations three years ago that were sparked by the killing in custody of Mahsa Amini. Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that left several hundred people dead, including dozens of members of the security forces.

Iran's Fars news agency reported Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighboring Lorestan province. State television reported earlier that a member of Iran's security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.