Former United States President Donald Trump has warned that the US would intervene if Iranian authorities kill peaceful protesters, following deadly clashes linked to ongoing cost-of-living demonstrations in Iran.
Trump made the statement on Friday via his Truth Social platform, saying the US was prepared to respond if protesters were violently suppressed.
“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
The warning came after protests over economic hardship and the falling value of Iran’s currency escalated into violence in several cities. Iranian media reported that at least six people were killed during clashes between protesters and security forces on Thursday, marking the first reported deaths since the unrest intensified.
Iran’s Fars News Agency said two people were killed in clashes in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, while three others died in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province. State television earlier reported that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
The demonstrations were sparked by rising prices, economic stagnation and sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial. On Sunday, shopkeepers in Tehran shut their stores in protest, with similar strikes reported in other parts of the country.
Iran’s currency has continued to weaken on the unofficial market, with the US dollar reportedly trading at about 1.42 million rials, compared to 820,000 rials a year ago, while the euro approached 1.7 million rials.
The current protests are smaller in scale than the nationwide demonstrations in 2022, which followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s dress code for women. That unrest resulted in the deaths of several hundred people, including dozens of security personnel.
