Trump Threatens U.S. Intervention If Iran ‘Violently’ Cracks Down On Growing Protests

President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to threaten U.S. intervention in Iran if the country’s leadership “violently” cracked down on the growing protests across the country, which have been triggered by soaring inflation and a fluctuating currency and have reportedly resulted in at least seven deaths.

In a Truth Social post early on Friday, Trump wrote: “If Iran sho[o]ts 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,” the president added, appearing to imply that the U.S. may intervene militarily.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded to Trump’s threat with a post on X alleging that the U.S. and Israel were fanning the protests.

Larijani wrote: “With statements from Israeli officials and [Trump], what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear,” adding that the Iranian government can distinguish between “protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors.”

The Iranian official said Trump must realize that “U.S. interference in this internal matter ” would destabilize the whole region and destroy American interests.

Larijani signed off the statement with an apparent threat, saying the American people must know that “Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”

Ali Shamkhani, the former secretary of Iran’s National Security Council and a top adviser to the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mocked Trump’s post on X, saying: “Iranians know US “rescue” record well, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza.” He then warned that any “intervening hand” getting close to Iran on security pretexts “will be cut off.” He then warned: “Iran’s national security is a red line, not a subject for reckless tweets.”

According to Associated Press at least seven people have died across the country as the protests continued to expand across the country this week. Two fatalities were recorded on Wednesday, followed by five on Thursday as security forces clashed with protestors. The AP report said the crackdown by authorities had slowed the protests in the capital, Tehran, but they have grown in the rest of the country, including rural areas.

Key Background

The protests in Iran, which are the largest the country has since the 2022 Anti-Hijab demonstrations following the death of 22-year-old Masha Amini at the hands of the country’s “morality police.” The protests began on Sunday and have continued to swell over the week as the country’s currency, the Rial, plummeted to a new low of 1.42 million against the dollar. Government data showed that the inflation rate in December was 42.2% higher than the same period last year, with food prices rising 72%.