Trump Warns of US Intervention if Iranian Authorities Kill Protesters; Tehran Officials Threaten Regional Consequences

US President Donald Trump issued a public warning to Iran's authorities that the United States would intervene if Iranian security forces killed peaceful protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue." The remark was posted on the president's social media account and included the line: "We are locked and loaded and ready to go." He gave no further details about what form any US response might take.

The comments came amid at least a week of mass protests in Iran that have left several people dead, and prompted a sharp reaction from senior figures close to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A senior adviser warned that any US interference could lead to chaos across the Middle East and harm American interests.

Iranian state and semi-official outlets, as well as human rights groups monitoring the unrest, reported multiple deaths during a fifth day of demonstrations. The semi-official Fars news agency said two people died in clashes in the south-western city of Lordegan, three died in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, in the west of the country. Fars did not specify whether those killed were demonstrators or members of the security forces.

The human rights group Hengaw identified the two killed in Lordegan as protesters, naming them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh. Hengaw's account was cited alongside reporting that Iranian officials had earlier said a member of the country's security forces was killed on Wednesday in Kouhdasht.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the reported deaths. Footage shared on social media showed cars on fire and running clashes between protesters and security forces. BBC Persian said it had verified videos of Thursday's protests in Lordegan, Tehran and Marvdasht in the southern Fars province.

The protests began in Tehran among shopkeepers concerned about a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar on the open market. By the middle of the week students had joined demonstrations and the unrest had spread to multiple cities, with crowds chanting against the country's clerical rulers.

Many demonstrators have been reported as calling for an end to the rule of Ayatollah Khamenei, with some calling for a return to monarchy. Observers noted that the protests are the most widespread since the 2022 uprising sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, though they have not matched the scale of that earlier unrest.

Domestically, Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said he would listen to the "legitimate demands" of protesters. At the same time, the country's Prosecutor-General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, warned that any attempt to create instability would be met with a "decisive response."

In his social media post, President Trump said: "If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue." He did not specify the actions Washington might take in response to such events.

Senior Iranian officials responded sharply. Ali Larijani, described in reporting as a senior adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, said the US should "be careful" if it intervened and warned that any interference would destabilise "the entire region" and also harm American interests.

The exchange adds to recent tensions between Washington and Tehran. In June, the US carried out strikes against Iran's nuclear sites on orders from President Trump. American officials later said the strikes had significantly set back the prospect of Tehran building a nuclear weapon, a claim disputed by Iran. Iran subsequently launched a missile attack on a major US military base in Qatar in apparent retaliation.

• At least six people were reported killed during a fifth day of protests, according to Fars and human rights groups.
• President Trump warned the US would "come to [protesters'] rescue" if Iranian authorities killed peaceful demonstrators; he gave no details of possible actions.
• A senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader warned that US interference would destabilise the region and harm American interests.
• Protests began over the falling value of the rial and expanded to include students and broader anti-regime chants; officials pledged both to listen to demands and to respond decisively to attempts at creating instability.

The situation remains fluid, with competing accounts of fatalities and continuing demonstrations across several Iranian cities. International and local reporting described clashes between protesters and security forces, and social media footage documented unrest in multiple locations within the country.