Donald Trump has been threatened by Iran with a “swift, decisive, and comprehensive” response if the US intervenes following growing unrest in the country, which has left at least 10 people dead and dozens arrested, according to reports.
Iranian officials are reacting to this US president’s vow to “protect” protesters if they were killed while protesting on the streets over the rising inflation crisis.
If Iran “kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States will come to their defence. Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “We are fully prepared and ready to act.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “intimidating comments.”
In a statement on Friday evening, the Foreign Ministry of Iran condemned the “intimidating comments” and accused the US of “escalating tensions in the region.”
“The response to any aggression by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be swift, decisive and comprehensive,” it said.
The US State Department shared a video of some of the protests on X; it said that “the courage of the Iranian people is undeniable” and praised the protesters’ “determination in the face of repression.”
This week’s protests are the largest demonstration since the nationwide protests that erupted following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was taken into custody in 2022.
The unrest has spread across the country, with deadly confrontations with security forces concentrated in the western provinces.
State-affiliated media and rights groups have reported at least 10 deaths since Wednesday.
including two people who officials said were members of the elite Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Basij paramilitary force.
Protesters marched in Tehran on Monday. Photo: Fars News Agency/AP
According to information verified by the Hong Kong Organization for Human Rights, there have been 132 arrests during the recent unrest, including at least 12 women and 8 children.
Protests broke out in the capital, Tehran, on Sunday, with crowds largely chanting slogans about economic grievances.
Iran’s economy has been hit by years of sanctions, and rising prices have pushed the country’s currency to record lows against the US dollar.
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protests turn deadly; I have seen unrest. Students took to the streets of Tehran on Tuesday; on Wednesday, protesters attempted to sabotage government buildings, and the situation became deadly as the violence escalated throughout the night until Thursday.
Rights groups and social media posts reported protests in several cities across Iran late Friday, including three districts of the capital, Tehran.
This week protesters have been marching in the capital, Tehran. Photo: Fars News Agency/AP
Iranian hardline politician Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said in a post on X that Mr Trump’s threat “makes all US bases and forces throughout the region a legitimate target in response to any potential misadventure”.
Mr Trump did not specify what action the US might take in support of the protests, but the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities in June, joining an Israeli air campaign that targeted Tehran’s nuclear programme and military leadership.
