Iran’s foreign minister has condemned a warning issued by U.S. President Donald Trump over the treatment of protesters, calling the remarks “reckless and dangerous” as demonstrations over economic hardship continue across the country.
The comments came after Trump said the United States would intervene if Iranian authorities killed peaceful demonstrators, a statement that sharply escalated rhetoric at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
In a brief social media post on Friday, Trump said Washington would “come to their rescue” if protesters were violently targeted, adding that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go.” He did not spell out what form any intervention might take.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by warning that Iran’s armed forces were prepared to defend the country against any attack. Writing on X, he said Iran knew “exactly where to aim” if it were threatened, underscoring the seriousness with which Tehran viewed the remarks.
Araghchi accused Trump of hypocrisy, pointing to the U.S. president’s recent deployment of the National Guard within the United States. “He of all people should know that criminal attacks on public property cannot be tolerated,” Araghchi wrote, adding that Iran would “forcefully reject any interference” in its internal affairs.
The warning exchange comes amid the most widespread unrest Iran has seen in several years. Protests began in Tehran after a sharp decline in the value of the rial against the U.S. dollar on the open market, angering shopkeepers and small business owners already struggling with inflation and economic pressure.
By early in the week, demonstrations had spread to several cities, drawing in university students and prompting chants against Iran’s clerical leadership. Clashes between protesters and security forces were reported in multiple locations.
At least eight people have been killed during the week-long protests, according to reports from Iranian media and human rights groups. Two protesters were killed in the southwestern city of Lordegan, according to the semi-official Fars news agency and the Hengaw human rights organization, which identified them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh.
Fars also reported three deaths in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, both in western Iran, though it did not clarify whether those killed were demonstrators or security personnel. Additional fatalities were reported in Fuladshahr, in central Iran, and Marvdasht, in the south.
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Iranian authorities have signaled they intend to maintain a firm response. A police spokesperson said officers would not allow what he described as “enemies” to exploit unrest and turn protests into chaos.
Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad issued a warning that any attempt to undermine stability would face a “decisive response,” reinforcing the government’s hard line.
President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a more conciliatory tone, saying his administration would listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, though he did not outline specific policy changes.
The dispute has now moved onto the international stage. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, sent a letter to the UN secretary-general and the president of the Security Council calling for condemnation of Trump’s statement, according to Reuters.
In the letter, Iravani warned that Iran would respond “decisively and proportionately” to any aggression, placing responsibility for potential escalation squarely on Washington.
The latest tensions revive memories of previous confrontations between the two countries. In the past, U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities triggered retaliatory attacks on American military assets in the region, including a strike on a U.S. base in Qatar.
While the current protests have not reached the scale of the 2022 uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, analysts say they reflect deep-seated economic frustration and political discontent that continue to challenge Iran’s leadership.
