President Donald Trump said Friday that if Iran “violently” intervenes with peaceful protests, then the U.S. will “come to their rescue.”
Unrest has been growing in Iran since last week, as protests erupted over the government’s handling of a sharp fall in the nation’s currency and soaring prices. Annual inflation hit 42.2% in December, with food prices jumping 72%. The protests turned violent this week as local media reported the death of at least six civilians.
“If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added.
Iran’s supreme leader adviser Ali Larijani responded by saying that U.S. interference in Iran’s protests was equivalent to chaos across the entire region on Friday, in comments reported by Reuters.
