US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States would step in if Iranian authorities use lethal force against protesters, as demonstrations over the cost of living and a plunging currency entered their fifth day and turned deadly in parts of western Iran.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said, “If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” adding: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
‘Hand of adventurer will be cut’
Iranian officials swiftly rejected the warning. Ali Larijani, identified by Reuters as head of Iran’s National Security Council and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that US interference would “destabilise” the wider Middle East. Larijani added: “American people should know that Trump started the adventurism. They ought to watch over their soldiers.”
Another senior figure, Ali Shamkhani, also an adviser to the Supreme Leader, described any US intervention as a red line. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Shamkhani wrote on X that any “interventionist hand” approaching Iran’s security “will be cut off,” stressing that Iran’s national security is “a red line” and not the subject of adventurous tweets.
Protests spread beyond Tehran
The unrest began in Tehran, where shopkeepers shut businesses in protest over soaring prices, before spreading to universities and other cities, according to Reuters which reported that state-affiliated media and rights groups have cited at least six deaths since Wednesday. One of the deaths involved a person authorities said was affiliated with the Basij paramilitary force linked to the Revolutionary Guards.
Iranian President strikes conciliatory note
Iran’s elected President Masoud Pezeshkian adopted a more conciliatory tone than security officials, acknowledging official responsibility for the crisis. He was quoted saying: “We are to blame… Do not look for America or anyone else to blame.”
High stakes amid sanctions pressure and regional tensions
The immediate economic trigger has been linked by analysts to the rial’s sharp slide and inflationary pressures in an economy already battered by sanctions, while coming on the back of regional tensions following US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities earlier in 2025.
Sources: Reuters, France24, CNA