02 January,2026 03:17 PM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondent
US President Donald Trump. File pic
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) warned Iran against using force on peaceful protesters and said that Washington is "locked and loaded" and will respond if Iranian authorities resort to violence, news agency ANI reported.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "If Iran shots 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
His remarks come amid widespread protests in Iran over rising prices and worsening economic conditions, with demonstrations spreading across multiple provinces and, in some cases, escalating into deadly confrontations with security forces, ANI reported, citing CNN.
According to Fars News Agency, protesters clashed with police, hurled stones at security personnel and set vehicles on fire. The agency alleged that some armed "disturbers" took advantage of the gatherings and claimed, without providing evidence, that authorities later seized firearms from several individuals.
Earlier, at least two people were killed during clashes between dozens of protesters and police in Lordegan county in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, ANI reported, citing Fars. It was not immediately clear whether those killed were protesters or members of the security forces.
Unverified videos circulating online appeared to show demonstrators throwing stones at uniformed police in the area. Fars further alleged that protesters targeted the governor's office, banks and other state buildings, CNN said.
The earliest reported fatality linked to the current unrest occurred on Wednesday night, when a member of Iran's Basij paramilitary force was killed and 13 others injured in the city of Kuhdasht in Lorestan province, according to state-affiliated media. Fars News Agency aired footage showing a police officer receiving medical treatment after allegedly being set on fire by protesters.
The Basij paramilitary force is often deployed by Iranian authorities to suppress demonstrations.
Meanwhile, authorities detained at least 20 people during the protests, the prosecutor of Kuhdasht said on Thursday, according to state-run Tasnim News Agency.
In Malard county, west of Tehran, officials arrested 30 individuals for "disturbing public order," Fars reported. County official Mansour Saleki said those detained were "misusing the lawful right to protest," adding that several of the arrested individuals had travelled from neighbouring counties.
Protests were joined by shop owners, bazaar traders and university students in several Iranian cities this week, with demonstrators chanting slogans against the government over economic hardship after the national currency fell to historic lows.
The latest unrest marks the largest demonstrations in Iran since the nationwide protests of 2022, which erupted following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly violating the country's headscarf rules.
The US State Department said in a post on X on Wednesday that it was alarmed by reports of protesters facing "intimidation, violence and arrests" and urged Iranian authorities to halt the crackdown.
"First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the entire country. Iranians stand together. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights," the State Department said in a Farsi-language post.
Though still limited in scope, the protests signal a new phase of growing public dissatisfaction in Iran, as citizens increasingly reclaim public spaces and personal freedoms through spontaneous and largely uncoordinated acts of resistance.
(With ANI inputs)
