Trump Warns Iran of U.S. Intervention if Peaceful Protesters Are Killed
Trump Warns Iran
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has issued a warning to Iranian authorities against the killing of peaceful protesters, stating that Washington "will come to their aid." In a brief social media post, he wrote: "We are ready and armed." Trump did not elaborate on potential U.S. actions.
A senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded by saying that Trump should "be careful" if he intends to intervene, warning of potential chaos that could ensue throughout the region. Reports indicate that at least six people have been killed in Iran on Thursday following nearly a week of massive protests fueled by increasingly difficult economic conditions.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump stated: "If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their aid." Khamenei's advisor, Ali Larijani, immediately warned that any U.S. interference would destabilize the region, saying: "Trump should know that U.S. intervention in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interests."
In June, the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran's nuclear sites on Trump's orders. American officials later claimed that these attacks significantly delayed Tehran's prospects of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim contested by Iran. In retaliation, Iran launched a missile attack on a significant military base in Qatar.
In Iran, six deaths have been reported on the fifth day of protests on Thursday. Two individuals were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in Lordegan, according to the semi-official news agency Fars and the human rights group Hengaw. Three people were killed in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, all in the west of the country, as reported by Fars. Fars did not specify whether those deceased were protesters or security forces members.
Hengaw stated that the two victims in Lordegan were protesters, identifying them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. The BBC could not independently verify the deaths. Social media posts showed cars on fire during the confrontations between protesters and security forces. BBC Persian confirmed footage depicting protests on Thursday in Lordegan, Tehran, and Marvdasht in the southern province of Fars.
Iranian officials had previously stated that a member of the country's security forces was killed on Wednesday in Kouhdasht. Protests began on Sunday in Tehran among traders dissatisfied with a sudden decline in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial, against the U.S. dollar in the open market. By Tuesday, university students had joined the protests, which spread to multiple cities with people chanting against the country’s religious leaders. Many protesters have since called for the end of Khamenei's rule, with some expressing a desire to revert to monarchy.
The protests are the most widespread since a rebellion in 2022 triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman accused by morality police of not wearing the proper veil, although they have not reached the same scale. President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that he would listen to the "legitimate demands" of the protesters. However, the country's Attorney General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, warned that any attempt to create instability would receive a "decisive response."
