Trump says US will ‘come to their rescue’ if Iran kills protesters
President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States was “locked in and ready” to respond if Iran killed protesters, prompting Tehran to warn that intervention would destabilize the region.
Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six people reported dead; It was the first deaths since the unrest escalated.
Shopkeepers in the capital Tehran went on strike on Sunday due to high prices and economic stagnation; these actions turned into a protest movement with political demands that have since spread to other parts of the country.
“If Iran shoots and brutally kills peaceful protesters, as is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said on the Truth Social platform.
“We are locked, loaded and ready to go,” he added.
This led Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s top security body, to warn Trump that “US intervention in this internal issue would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.”
Larijani added that the US president “must pay attention to the safety of his soldiers,” according to X.
Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said any US intervention would be “subject to a backlash”, calling Iran’s security a “red line”.
Iranian leaders, including Larijani and President Masoud Pezeshkian, have described peaceful protests against Iran’s struggling economy in recent days as legitimate and understandable.
Pezeshkian said Thursday that he and his government would “go to hell” in a religious sense if they fail to find solutions to economic challenges.
Authorities also warned of a harsh response to any instability.
On Friday, Lorestan region prosecutor Ali Hasavand said on the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan website that “participation in illegal meetings and any actions aimed at disrupting public order, destroying property, disobeying law enforcement authorities, inciting illegal meetings constitute a crime and will be dealt with in the harshest manner by the courts.”
“Some opportunistic and hostile individuals are trying to disrupt public security and peace by sowing seeds of chaos, turmoil, and committing murder. The justice system and the police will act with determination and tolerance against rioters and those who undermine public security.”
– Battered economy –
Iran’s economy has been hit for years by international sanctions imposed over its nuclear program, severe inflation and a collapse of its currency.
The protest movement comes at a time when Iran is weakened after major blows to its regional allies, including Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in Lordegan city of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces, and three people were killed in Azna in neighboring Lorestan province.
State television had previously reported that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kuhdasht.
According to reports in Iranian media, the protests mostly affected 15 cities in the west of the country.
The demonstrations are smaller than the last major incident in 2022, triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
His death sparked a wave of anger across the country, killing hundreds of people, including dozens of members of the security forces.
Iran was also affected by nationwide protests that began in late 2019 over a rise in fuel prices, eventually leading to calls for the ouster of the country’s religious rulers.
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