US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran’s cost-of-living protests, provoking a warning that he could destabilise the entire region.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, Mr 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.”
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
At least seven people have been reported to have been killed in violence during protests sweeping parts of Iran, including capital Tehran. They have been sparked in part by the collapse of country’s rial currency.
In response to Mr Trump’s post, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, wrote on X: “Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests.
“The American people should know – Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
America has a large wide military footprint in the region and tensions had already been rising with Iran. In June the Islamic republic attacked the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
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The missile launches were a retaliation for US strikes on three nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war on the Islamic Republic, also in June.
Protests in the Iran have now reached their sixth day, making them the biggest since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations.
But the protests have yet to go countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Ms Amini, who was detained for not wearing her headscarf to the liking of authorities.
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The latest demonstrations were initially triggered by economic concerns, but have included chants against Iran’s theocracy.
Iran’s civilian government led by reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has been trying to signal it wants to negotiate with protesters.
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But Mr Pezeshkian has acknowledged there is little he can do as the currency rapidly depreciates, with one dollar now costing some 1.4 million rials, pushing up domestic prices.
