US President Donald Trump has warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful protesters, stating that Washington will come to their rescue. In a brief social media post, he exclaimed: We are locked and loaded and ready to go, without providing further details.
In retaliation, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cautioned Trump to be careful of potential chaos in the Middle East if the US were to intervene.
Reports indicate that at least eight people have been killed in Iran amid widespread protests triggered by deteriorating economic conditions, which sparked unrest last week.
Trump's declaration on Truth Social included a warning: If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. However, he did not elaborate on the specific actions the US might take.
Previously, the US had conducted military strikes against Iran's nuclear sites, aiming to curb their nuclear ambitions, a claim disputed by Tehran.
Diplomatic tensions intensified further when Khamenei's advisor, Ali Larijani, warned that US interference would lead to destabilization and threaten American interests in the region.
Despite the escalating situation, some Iranian protesters expressed a desire for US support, feeling that Trump's responses instill fear in the security forces. A woman on the ground recounted that protesters have sought US backing to undermine the oppressive regime.
The current protests began as a reaction to a steep fall in the value of the Iranian rial. As the unrest grew, it attracted university students and calls for regime change, reminiscent of past uprisings, yet without reaching the scale of the 2022 protests following Mahsa Amini's death.
As the situation develops, both the Iranian government and external observers remain alert to the implications of Trump's warnings, weighing the potential for US involvement against the backdrop of an already volatile region.
