Trump and top Iranian official exchange threats over protests in Iran

US president says Washington will intervene if Tehran violently suppresses protests over high prices.Published On 2 Jan 2026United States President Donald Trump has said Washington is “locked and loaded” to respond if Iran kills more protesters, after cost-of-living demonstrations in the country turned deadly.Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed in the first deaths since the unrest escalated.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Protests, strikes after Iran’s economic situation rapidly deteriorateslist 2 of 4Several killed as Iran protests over rising cost of living spreadlist 3 of 4Demonstrations turn deadly in Iran over rising living costslist 4 of 4How far will the latest protests go in Iran?end of listShopkeepers in the capital, Tehran, went on strike on Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, actions that have since spread to other parts of the country.Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday that “if Iran shoots 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,” the Republican leader added.Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, condemned Trump’s remarks, saying he “should know that American interference in this internal issue is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests”.“We consider the positions of the protesting merchants separate from those of the destructive elements,” Larijani added in a post on X.“The people of the US should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”Larijani’s remarks likely referenced the US’s wide military footprint in the region. In June, Iran attacked Al Udeid airbase in Qatar after the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.