Trump warns Iran over deadly crackdown on protests

WASHINGTON,— U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington could move to support protesters in Iran if Iranian security forces used live fire against demonstrators, according to a statement he posted on social media.

His comments came as unrest linked to rising prices continued across several parts of Iran, leaving multiple people dead and creating what analysts describe as the most serious domestic challenge for Iranian authorities in years.

Trump wrote that the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go,” without explaining what actions Washington might take.

The remarks followed U.S. and Israeli military strikes carried out in June against Iranian nuclear facilities and senior military targets, according to U.S. officials.

Iranian leaders reacted sharply. Ali Larijani, a senior official and head of Iran’s National Security Council, said U.S. involvement in Iran’s internal affairs would threaten stability across the Middle East.

According to Iranian state media, Larijani said Washington would be responsible for any consequences arising from such interference. Iran maintains close ties with armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

At the same time, Iranian state media quoted a local official in western Iran as saying authorities would respond firmly to what he called illegal gatherings. The official said unrest would be handled decisively and without leniency.

In a letter sent on Friday to the United Nations secretary general and the president of the Security Council, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, urged the council to condemn Trump’s remarks.

Iravani wrote that Iran would respond in a decisive and proportionate manner and said the United States would bear full responsibility for any escalation resulting from what he described as unlawful threats.

The demonstrations, which began earlier this week over high inflation and living costs, are smaller than some previous waves of unrest but have spread to multiple provinces, according to reports from Iranian media and rights groups.

Deadly clashes between protesters and security forces have been reported mainly in western areas of the country.

State affiliated outlets and human rights organizations said at least 10 people had died since Wednesday. Among the dead were two men described by authorities as members of the Basij paramilitary force linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran’s clerical establishment has repeatedly contained protests over the past decades, often through large scale arrests and heavy security deployments. However, analysts say persistent economic strain may have reduced the government’s room to maneuver.

The current unrest is described as the most significant since nationwide protests erupted in 2022 following the death of a young Kurdish woman Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody. Those demonstrations lasted weeks and resulted in hundreds of deaths, according to rights groups.

Trump did not clarify what support for protesters might involve. The United States has imposed broad sanctions on Iran for years, particularly after Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and launched what his administration called a maximum pressure campaign.

Video footage verified by Reuters showed dozens of people gathered overnight outside a police station that was on fire. Gunshots could be heard intermittently as crowds shouted slogans criticizing authorities.

In Zahedan, a city in southeastern Iran with a large Baluch population, the rights organization Hengaw reported chants including “Death to the dictator.” Hengaw said at least 133 people had been arrested so far, most of them in western Iran.

Iranian state television reported that an unspecified number of people were detained in the Kurdish city of Kermanshan, accused of producing petrol bombs and homemade weapons.

Other media reports said two heavily armed individuals were arrested in central and western Iran before planned attacks could take place.

Additional protests were reported late Friday in several cities, including three districts in Tehran.

Trump’s comments followed a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump warned that further strikes could follow if Iran resumed nuclear or ballistic missile activities.

Pressure on Tehran has increased following last year’s Israeli and U.S. strikes, the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Larijani said Americans should understand that Trump initiated what he called adventurism and warned that U.S. forces in the region could face consequences. Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has taken a more conciliatory approach, promising dialogue with protest leaders over economic grievances.

Speaking before Trump’s remarks, Pezeshkian acknowledged that government failures had contributed to the crisis, even as rights groups said security forces had opened fire on demonstrators.

(With files from Reuters)