‘Locked and loaded’: Trump issues threat over Iran protests

United States President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Iran, saying Washington would step in if Iranian authorities use lethal force against civilians amid growing cost-of-living protests across the country.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump accused Tehran of a pattern of violent repression and said any killing of unarmed demonstrators would trigger an American response.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” he wrote, adding that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Trump’s comments came as demonstrations over soaring prices and currency instability entered a more dangerous phase, with reports of deaths on both sides following clashes between protesters and security forces in several provinces.

Iranian state television said on Thursday that a volunteer member of the country’s security forces was killed overnight during unrest in the western city of Kouhdasht. Separately, human rights groups and local reports said at least six civilians had lost their lives during confrontations elsewhere in the country.

The protests, which began earlier in the week, were initially driven by shopkeepers and traders angered by the government’s handling of a steep currency depreciation and rapidly rising living costs. However, the unrest has since widened, marking the most serious economic-driven protests Iran has seen in nearly three years.

Iran’s leadership has faced persistent economic pressure since 2018, when the United States reimposed sweeping sanctions following Washington’s withdrawal from a multilateral nuclear agreement during Trump’s first term in office.

While the current demonstrations remain smaller than the nationwide protests of 2022, analysts note worrying similarities. That earlier uprising was sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by morality police over an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress code for women. The crackdown that followed left hundreds dead, including dozens of security personnel.

Iranian authorities have said they are open to dialogue to calm the latest unrest, but Trump’s remarks have added a new international dimension to the unfolding crisis.