US President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s leadership against using deadly force on peaceful protesters, saying the United States would intervene if demonstrators are killed.
In a short post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go,” without explaining what action Washington might take.
Iran responded swiftly. Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Trump to “be careful,” saying any US interference would destabilise the Middle East and damage American interests across the region.
The warning comes amid nearly a week of widespread protests across Iran, sparked by worsening economic conditions and a sharp fall in the value of the national currency. At least eight people are reported to have been killed since demonstrations began, though the BBC has not independently verified the figures.
Trump wrote on Friday: “If Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.” He did not specify what form that support would take.
The statement follows heightened tensions between the two countries. In June, the US carried out air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on Trump’s orders. US officials later said the attacks had significantly delayed Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a claim Tehran strongly denies. Iran later retaliated with a missile strike on a major US military base in Qatar.
Despite official warnings, some protesters said US intervention would be welcomed. A young woman protesting in Tehran told the BBC’s Newshour programme that Iranian security forces take threats from Trump seriously. Speaking anonymously for safety reasons, she said demonstrators had long hoped for US support, believing that American warnings carry real consequences.
According to reports, two protesters were killed during clashes with security forces in the south-western city of Lordegan. Additional deaths were reported in Azna, Kouhdasht, Fuladshahr and Marvdasht. Iranian media did not always clarify whether those killed were protesters or members of the security forces.
Video footage circulating online shows cars set on fire and clashes between demonstrators and police. BBC Persian has verified videos from protests in Tehran, Lordegan and Marvdasht.
Tensions escalated further during the burial of a man killed earlier in the week in Kouhdasht. Mourners reportedly clashed with security forces after authorities attempted to take control of the coffin.
The protests began in Tehran among shopkeepers angry over the falling rial and quickly spread nationwide. University students soon joined, with chants increasingly targeting Iran’s clerical leadership. Some protesters have called for the end of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule, while others have voiced support for restoring the monarchy.
“We have no freedom here,” the Tehran protester told the BBC. “We face brutality every day. We want the regime to end, even if it costs us our lives.”
While the demonstrations are the most widespread since the 2022 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, they have not yet reached the same scale.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government would listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands,” but Iran’s Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, warned that any attempt to destabilise the country would face a “decisive response.”
