Donald Trump has warned Iran not to retaliate against peaceful protesters after dissent broke out when the Iranian currency, the rial, fell against the U.S. dollar on Sunday.
So far, at least six people have reportedly been killed in the protests, which are entering their fifth day after shopkeepers rallied and students became involved.
Highlights
- Donald Trump warned Iran not to violently target peaceful protesters amid currency collapse protests, stating the U.S. is 'locked and loaded.'
- At least six protesters have died, with human rights group Hengaw confirming 10 deaths and 80 arrests amid growing unrest across Iranian provinces.
- Iranian officials condemned U.S. interference, warning that any American involvement could destabilize the region and harm U.S. interests.
Human rights organization Hengaw estimates the number of deaths to be even higher, saying it has confirmed 10 fatalities and 80 arrests.
Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In an early morning post on Truth Social, Trump warned Iran that America would intervene if peaceful protesters were targeted.
“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote at about 3 a.m. Friday.
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
It comes after Trump authorized strikes against Iranian nuclear sites earlier this year, although the success of those strikes has been questioned.
In response to those strikes, Iran fired a missile at an American military base in Qatar.
Image credits: Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images
Trump’s new message drew swift responses from Iranian officials, with senior figures warning that any U.S. interference in Iran’s internal affairs could destabilize the wider region.
Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shared Trump’s message and wrote, “We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.
“The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian had earlier warned that any aggression towards Iran would be responded to harshly.
Image credits: Donald J Trump
“The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any oppressive aggression will be harsh and regrettable,” Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday.
He also said that the government had “actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system.”
“I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly,” Pezeshkian said.
The protests began among shopkeepers and bazaar merchants in Tehran on Sunday in response to a dramatic collapse of the rial and rising prices, and have since spread to other provinces including Lorestan, Isfahan and Charmahal-and-Bakhtiari.
Students and others have since joined the demonstrations, broadening their demands from economic relief to calls for political change and accountability.
The protests are the most widespread since the death of Mahsa Amini
Image credits: Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The protests are the most significant since the nationwide unrest of 2022, which was triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained in Tehran by Iran’s so-called morality police.
Amini had been arrested while visiting the capital with her brother for allegedly violating hijab rules.
Witnesses and her family said she was beaten in custody and while authorities denied wrongdoing, she collapsed shortly after her arrest and died in the hospital three days later.
Her death sparked protests across the country, with demonstrators denouncing police violence and openly burning headscarves, calling for greater personal freedoms, an end to compulsory veiling laws and, in many cases, the overthrow of the Islamic Republic itself.