Iranian Military Vows to Protect National Interests Amid US Support for Protesters

Iranian Army Warns of External Challenges

The Iranian military has pledged to safeguard strategic infrastructure and public property while urging citizens to challenge the "enemy's plans," following a stern warning from U.S. President Donald Trump to Iranian leaders regarding escalating anti-government protests. In a statement released by semi-official news outlets, the military accused Israel and "hostile terrorist groups" of attempting to "undermine the country's public security," as Tehran intensifies efforts to suppress the largest protests in recent years, triggered by rising living costs which have resulted in numerous deaths.

"The army, under the command of the Supreme Leader, along with other armed forces, will firmly protect and defend national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property," the military stated. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which operates separately from the army, also warned that safeguarding the achievements of the 1979 revolution and the country’s security is a "red line," according to state television.

Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed support for the Iranian people after authorities restricted internet access in an attempt to quell the deadly protests. "The United States supports the brave people of Iran," Rubio stated on platform X. This statement followed shortly after Trump's warning, saying: "Do not arm yourselves, for we too will start firing."

Protests erupted across Iran on January 3, fueled by anger over rising living costs, with growing calls for the end of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since 1979. Unrest continued overnight, with state media accusing "rioters" of setting fire to a municipal building in Karaj, west of Tehran. Images of funerals for security forces killed during protests in the cities of Shiraz, Qom, and Hamedan were also broadcast.

In his first response to the escalating protests, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled demonstrators as "vandals" and "saboteurs." In a speech broadcast on state television, Khamenei claimed that Trump's hands are "stained with the blood of over a thousand Iranians." He also predicted that the American leader would be "replaced," just as the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran until 1979 was. "Everyone knows that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people; it will not back down in the face of saboteurs," he declared.