President Donald Trump has warned that the United States is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to help Iranian protesters if security forces “violently kill peaceful protesters.” Trump issued the threat on Truth Social as demonstrations over Iran’s deteriorating economy entered their sixth day and turned deadly, with as many as seven people killed in clashes between protesters and security forces.
The speaker of Iran’s Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, quickly responded online, warning that any U.S. intervention would make American forces and bases across the Mideast “legitimate targets.”
Unrest over inflation becomes Iran’s biggest protests since 2022
The latest exchange comes as Iran faces its biggest protests since 2022, when Mahsa Amini’s death in custody sparked the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising documented by Amnesty International.
The current protests, which began over economic grievances, soaring inflation and a collapsing rial, have spread beyond Tehran into western and southern provinces and now include chants against Iran’s theocratic leadership, according to Fox News and The Associated Press.
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Reuters reported that government attempts to deregulate currency exchange backfired, crashing the rial’s value and keeping inflation stubbornly high. Officials say the current unrest has not yet reached the same scale or intensity as the 2022 demonstrations. Trump’s threat of military intervention comes six months after the United States joined Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear sites. Those strikes prompted an Iranian missile attack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Trump’s ‘locked and loaded’ warning draws threats to U.S. forces
Trump wrote that if Iran “shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added.
In later remarks, Trump claimed earlier U.S. strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities but said Iran “may be behaving badly.” If confirmed, he said, according to The Hill, “consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time.” Trump did not elaborate on any plans for U.S. military involvement in Iran. Israeli defense officials are concerned that Tehran might launch ballistic missile strikes, according to The Jerusalem Post. Such attacks might further provoke the U.S. to respond.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote that U.S. interference in what he called an internal matter would “mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.” Americans, he said, “should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on X that “any interventionist hand that gets too close to the security of Iran will be cut.”
Protests spread beyond Tehran as Pezeshkian urges restraint
Rights group Hengaw and state-linked media outlets have reported several deaths and dozens of arrests as protests spread, primarily in western Iran, Reuters reported. Reuters said at least six people have been killed so far, including security personnel. Other outlets have reported seven deaths in incidents in such cities as Lordegan, Kuhdasht and Zahedan.
Reuters verified footage of chaotic scenes, including a police station set ablaze and crowds jeering at authorities. In Zahedan, demonstrators were heard calling for the end of the dictatorship. Fox News said state media have announced arrests of people accused of exploiting the unrest, including alleged monarchists and members of Europe-based groups. The report also claims that security forces seized smuggled weapons.
At the same time, President Masoud Pezeshkian has publicly acknowledged government failings.
“We are to blame … ,” he said. Do not look for America or anyone else to blame.”
Pezeshkian added that officials “have to find a solution to these problems.”
Pezeshkian has signaled a desire to negotiate with protesters. But he has limited tools to address their grievances, as sanctions, a weak currency and economic missteps strain the economy.
