Trump warns US is ‘locked and loaded’ if Iran kills protesters

DUBAI: US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fire on them, days into unrest that has left several dead and posed the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years. If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Friday morning. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s top security body, said in a post on social media on Friday that Trump “should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.” He added: “The American people should know – Trump started this adventurism. They ought to watch over their soldiers.” Iran continues to support groups in Iraq that have previously fired rockets at US forces in the country, as well as the Houthi group that controls much of northern Yemen. Trump did not specify what sort of action the US could take in support of the protests. Washington has long imposed broad financial sanctions on Tehran. US presidents have been wary of engaging militarily in Iran, but in June, Trump ordered airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. A spokesperson for US state department said Washington would “continue to put maximum pressure on the regime” in Iran, accusing Iranian authorities of “squandering billions on terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons research”. Biggest protest in 3 years Protests erupted across Iran this week amid soaring prices and a collapsing currency that has shaken the economy and pushed many Iranians into deeper economic hardship. The country’s currency fell to a record low against the US dollar last weekend, while annual inflation climbed to 42.2% in Dec. The protests have spread across Iran, with deadly confrontations between demonstrators and security forces focused in western provinces. State-affiliated media and rights groups have reported at least six deaths since Wednesday. Iran has seen off repeated bouts of major unrest in recent decades, often quelling protests with heavy security measures and mass arrests. But economic problems may leave authorities more vulnerable now. This week’s protests are the biggest in three years, since nationwide demonstrations triggered by the death of a young woman in custody in late 2022 paralysed Iran for weeks, with rights groups reporting hundreds killed. Video verified by Reuters showed dozens of people gathered in front of a burning police station overnight, as gunshots sporadically rang out and people shouted “shameless, shameless” at the authorities. In the southern city of Zahedan, where Iran’s Baluch minority predominates, the human rights news group Hengaw reported that protesters had chanted slogans including “Death to the dictator”. Hengaw has reported 29 arrests so far over the unrest, mostly in the west, and including 14 members of Iran’s Kurdish minority. State TV also reported the arrest of an unspecified number of people in another western city, Kermanshah, accused of manufacturing petrol bombs and home-made pistols. The deaths acknowledged by official media have been in small western cities of Lordegan and Kuhdasht. Prez acknowledges failings During the latest unrest, the elected President Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a conciliatory tone, pledging dialogue with protest leaders over the cost-of-living crisis. Speaking on Thursday, Pezeshkian acknowledged that failings by the authorities were behind the crisis. “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…,” he said.