TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump over remarks suggesting Washington could intervene if Iranian security forces kill peaceful protesters, with Tehran warning that such statements risk dangerous escalation.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Trump’s comments as “reckless and dangerous” after the US president said America was “locked and loaded and ready to go” and would “come to the rescue” of demonstrators protesting Iran’s economic hardship.
Trump made the remarks on Friday in a brief social media post, warning, “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
He did not clarify what form any US intervention might take.
Araghchi responded by signalling Iran’s readiness to defend itself, saying the country’s armed forces were on standby and “know exactly where to aim” should Iran come under attack.
“Given President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard within US borders, he of all people should know that criminal attacks on public property cannot be tolerated,” Araghchi wrote on X.
He added that Iran would “forcefully reject any interference in its internal affairs.”
The exchange comes amid week-long protests across Iran over the deteriorating economy, sparked by another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.
Demonstrations began in Tehran among shopkeepers before spreading to universities and other cities, with protesters chanting slogans against the country’s clerical leadership.
At least eight people are reported to have died so far, according to Iranian media and human rights groups, though the BBC has not independently verified the figures.
Two protesters, identified by the semi-official Fars news agency and the rights group Hengaw as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh, were killed during clashes with security forces in the south-western city of Lordegan.
Fars also reported three deaths in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, both in western Iran, without specifying whether the victims were protesters or security personnel.
Additional deaths were reported in Fuladshahr in central Iran and Marvdasht in the south.
An Iranian police spokesman said security forces would not allow what he described as “enemies” to turn unrest into chaos, as running battles between demonstrators and police were reported in several locations.
President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to strike a conciliatory tone, saying his administration would listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters.
However, Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad warned that any attempt to destabilise the country would be met with a “decisive response”.
The diplomatic fallout has now reached the United Nations.
Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir-Saeid Iravani, has written to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council, urging the body to condemn Trump’s remarks, according to Reuters.
“Iran will exercise its rights decisively and proportionately,” Iravani said in the letter.
“The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats and any ensuing escalation.”
The protests are the most widespread since the 2022 unrest triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, though analysts say they have not yet reached the same scale.
Still, Trump’s comments and Tehran’s response have heightened fears of a broader confrontation at a time of already strained US–Iran relations.
