DUBAI, Jan 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Washington would move to support protesters in Iran if security forces opened fire on them, as days of unrest that have killed several people pose the most serious domestic challenge to Iranian leaders in years.
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said in a social media post. The United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, joining an Israeli air campaign aimed at Tehran’s atomic programme and senior military figures.
Iran swiftly pushed back. Senior official Ali Larijani said U.S. meddling in Iran’s internal affairs would risk destabilising the wider Middle East, where Tehran backs allied forces in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
His remarks came as a local official in western Iran, where fatalities have been reported, warned via state media that any unrest or illegal gatherings would be dealt with “decisively and without leniency.”
In a letter to the U.N. secretary-general and the president of the Security Council seen by Reuters, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani urged the council to condemn Trump’s statements.
“Iran will exercise its rights decisively and proportionately. The United States of America bears full responsibility for any consequences arising from these unlawful threats and any ensuing escalation,” Iravani wrote.
PROTESTS AND CASUALTIES
The demonstrations, sparked by surging inflation, are smaller than some past waves of unrest but have spread nationwide, with the deadliest clashes reported in western provinces.
State-linked media and rights groups say at least 10 people have been killed since Wednesday, including two men authorities identified as members of the Basij paramilitary force tied to the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Iran’s clerical leadership has weathered repeated bouts of unrest over decades, often suppressing protests through heavy security deployments and mass arrests. But persistent economic strain may have increased its vulnerability.
The current protests are the largest since nationwide demonstrations erupted in 2022 after the death of a young woman in custody, paralysing the country for weeks and leaving hundreds dead, according to rights groups.
Trump did not spell out what form any U.S. support might take. Washington has long imposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran, intensified after Trump withdrew the United States from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018 and launched a “maximum pressure” campaign.
GUNSHOTS AND ARRESTS
Reuters-verified video showed dozens gathered overnight outside a burning police station as sporadic gunfire echoed and protesters chanted “shameless, shameless” at authorities.
In the southern city of Zahedan, home to many from Iran’s Baluch minority, the rights group Hengaw reported chants of “Death to the dictator.” Hengaw said at least 133 people have been arrested so far, mostly in western Iran.
State television reported arrests in Kermanshah, accusing suspects of making petrol bombs and homemade pistols. Iranian media also said two heavily armed individuals were detained in central and western regions before they could carry out attacks.
Rights groups and social media posts described protests late on Friday in several cities, including three districts of Tehran. In the capital’s eastern Narmak district, protesters set ablaze a police vehicle and a motorcycle, according to Akhbar Fouri. Reuters could not independently verify all reports of arrests, deaths or unrest.
RISING PRESSURE
Trump’s comments followed a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a long-time proponent of military action against Iran, and warnings of fresh strikes should Tehran revive nuclear or ballistic activities.
Israeli and U.S. strikes last June have added to the pressure on Tehran, alongside the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, a close ally, and Israel’s sustained attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Iran continues to back groups in Iraq that have previously fired rockets at U.S. forces, as well as the Houthi movement controlling much of northern Yemen.
“The American people should know that Trump started the adventurism. They should keep an eye on their soldiers,” Larijani said. He heads Iran’s National Security Council and advises Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran’s elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has adopted a more conciliatory tone during the unrest, promising dialogue with protest leaders over the cost-of-living crisis, even as rights groups report security forces firing on demonstrators.
Speaking on Thursday, before Trump’s warning, Pezeshkian acknowledged that official failings had contributed to the crisis.
Conclusion
The confrontation underscores a volatile moment for Iran, where economic pressure and public anger are colliding with heightened external threats. As protests continue and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran intensifies, the risk of further violence and regional spillover remains high, leaving Iran’s leadership facing its most delicate test in years.
