Trump Threatens Iran Intervention Amid Ongoing Protests
Early Friday morning, on the fifth day of the recent protest movement in Iran, President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to intervene in Iran if protesters are killed.
Early Friday morning, on the fifth day of the recent protest movement in Iran, President Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to intervene in Iran if protesters are killed. The post stated “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP.”
Notably, reports already indicate that several protesters have been killed amid the protests. However, it remains unclear how serious Trump’s message was as well as the form and trigger for any response.
Iranian officials reacted harshly, pushing back and vowing direct consequences if the U.S. engages in military escalation. Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, posted on X “With the statements by Israeli officials and @realDonaldTrump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.” Larijani concluded, “The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
Separate Iranian officials struck a defiant tone. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the remarks as “irresponsible and dangerous,” rejected foreign interference, and said Iran’s armed forces are on alert. He distinguished between peaceful economic protests, which he described as legitimate, and isolated violent incidents, including attacks on police facilities. Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who has held many security positions, likewise vowed immediate consequences to American intervention. He stated “The Iranian people are well aware of the American “rescue” experience, from Iraq and Afghanistan to #Gaza. Any interfering hand that threatens #Iran’s security with flimsy excuses will encounter a resounding response and will be given even before it reaches its target. Iran’s national security is a red line, not a subject for reckless tweets.”
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, similar to Larijani and Araghchi, drew a distinction between what he framed as the grievances of legitimate protesters and those who might have violent aims. According to Ghalibaf, efforts to subvert the “legitimate protests of the bazaaris” and turn them violent were thwarted by government agents and the awareness of the nation. “The Iranian nation, throughout history, has disappointed enemies far more cunning than these; we never equate the ranks of the protesters with foreign mercenaries, and we embrace our dear children,” claimed Ghalibaf. “Moreover, the disrespectful President of America should also know that with this official admission, all American centers and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets for us in response to any potential adventurism; Iranians have always been united and determined to act in the face of an aggressor enemy.”
The effort by Iranian officials to distinguish between “legitimate” protesters and those deemed intent on disruption or violence is notable, and appears to represent a subtle rhetorical shift from prior rounds of protest that were largely blamed on seditionists and foreign agents. Additionally, there does not appear to be evidence that the Iranian government has cut off or throttled internet access in the country, as occurred amid prior, major crackdowns. Whether such rhetoric and measures will persist and be reflected in Iran’s response to the protests moving forward remains unclear. Regardless, Trump’s warning has provoked harsh reactions from Iranian figures who were already on edge, and risks impacting the course of this nascent protest movement and the government’s response to it.