Trump, Iran trade threats as protests show momentum in Islamic Republic

President Donald Trump on Friday issued a warning to Iran via social media about deadly protests in the Islamic Republic over deteriorating economic conditions.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The threat heightens tensions between the U.S. and Tehran amid one of the largest domestic challenges to the Iranian government in years.

The declaration drew wild rebukes from Iranian officials, who claim “armed field agents” from U.S. intelligence services are fanning the protests. 

Calling Trump’s message a “devil’s scream,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, added via social media: “The disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response.” 

The protests, now in their sixth day, have erupted amid widening economic distress, including the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, and have resulted in the death of at least seven protesters, according to the Associated Press (AP). 

The protests are the most significant demonstrations since waves of unrest in 2022, said the AP.  

The unrest began with strikes by shopkeepers over high prices and economic stagnation before students and other urban residents joined the protests. 

Videos released from Iran show significant if scattered demonstrations throughout the country.  

It comes as Trump slapped Iran with multiple sanctions over drone and missile technology that could be used to attack the U.S. and allied nations, The Lion reported.  

The sanctions followed the president’s meetings in Florida with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

Iranian authorities accused the U.S. and Israel of stoking unrest in the country.  

Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official, posted on X that foreign interference would lead to regional chaos and harm U.S. interests. 

“Trump must realize that U.S. intervention in this internal matter will lead to destabilizing the entire region and destroying American interests,” wrote Larijani. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged the seriousness of the economic crisis and called for dialogue with demonstrators, saying the fault lies with the current Iranian regime.  

“We are to blame… Do not look for America or anyone else to blame. We must serve properly so that people are satisfied with us…. It is us who have to find a solution to these problems,” he said, according to Reuters. 

Trump’s warning Friday could signal U.S. willingness to contemplate direct intervention in response to internal unrest in Tehran if protesters seek to topple the regime  

It also comes against the backdrop of heightened U.S.-Iran tensions that have been simmering in 2025, including a June U.S. and Israeli air campaign against Iranian nuclear facilities and subsequent Iranian attacks on U.S. forces in the region. 

Trump’s policy since his first term has been to isolate the Tehran regime, a tactic that has been effective even after being interrupted by four years during President Joe Biden’s administration. 

Trump began with the Abraham Accords in 2020, which recalibrated relations between Israel and the world’s Arab nations on a positive basis. 

Tehran’s isolation deepened after the removal of Syria’s pro-Iran Assad regime and the defeat of Hamas, a key Iranian ally, by Israel during the Gaza war.     

Iran’s geopolitical isolation has recently spread amid Western sanctions over its nuclear, drone and ballistic missile programs.  

The country’s economy has also been subsequently strained by inflation and the costs of regional engagements, adding to the frustration of Iranians fueling the current demonstrations, according to the independent Persian news website, Iran International    

U.S. officials have not clarified what specific actions American forces might take if Trump’s conditions for intervention are met.