US President Donald Trump on Friday warned that the United States is ready to respond if Iranian authorities kill protesters, following deadly clashes linked to cost-of-living demonstrations across several cities in Iran.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the US was “locked and loaded” and would intervene if Iran violently suppressed peaceful demonstrators.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said.
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added.
The warning comes amid escalating unrest in Iran after demonstrations over rising prices and economic stagnation turned deadly. Protesters clashed with security forces in several cities on Thursday, with at least six people reported killed — the first confirmed deaths since the unrest intensified.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that two people were killed in clashes in the city of Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, while three others died in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
State television earlier reported that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
The demonstrations were initially sparked by economic grievances, with shopkeepers in Tehran going on strike on Sunday over high prices and prolonged economic hardship. The protests have since spread to other parts of the country.
While the current unrest appears smaller in scale than the nationwide protests of 2022, analysts say it reflects ongoing public frustration with Iran’s economic conditions and governance.
The 2022 protests were triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. Her death sparked widespread demonstrations that left several hundred people dead, including dozens of security personnel.
Iranian authorities have not issued an official response to Trump’s remarks.
