Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ if Iran Kills Protesters

 

Trump Says U.S. Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ if Iran Kills Protesters

 

Mr. Trump’s remarks that he was ready to come to the protesters’ “rescue” are a sharp escalation as protests over economic hardship turned deadly.

 

After days of demonstrations across Iran, President Trump said that if the government there were to kill peaceful antigovernment protesters, the United States would intervene

 

By Abdi Latif Dahir Sanam Mahoozi and Leily Nikounazar

Jan. 2, 2026

Updated 10:40 a.m. ET

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/world/middleeast/trump-iran-protests.html

 

President Trump said on Friday that the United States would come to the aid of protesters in Iran if the government there used lethal force against them, in a sharp escalation of remarks after days of widespread demonstrations against the Iranian government.

 

The comments came a day after reports from Iranian state media and activists said that at least one person had been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, as officials tried to contain protests incited by economic distress.

 

The demonstrations, which began among business owners and university students in major Iranian cities, have also spread to smaller towns. Several security officers have been injured in the protests, the authorities said. Semiofficial news outlets and a human rights organization reported clashes and fatalities during protests in the western city of Lordegan on Thursday, though the accounts could not be independently confirmed.

 

If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Friday morning. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

 

It was not possible to tell whether there had been any planning for such a move or whether the administration would actually follow through on Mr. Trump’s threat.

 

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of Iran’s Parliament, said in a post on X that “all American bases and forces across the entire region will be legitimate targets” if the U.S. interferes with Iran.

 

Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in a post on social media on Friday that Mr. Trump “should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests.”

 

He added: “The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism.”

 

Protests erupted across Iran this week amid soaring prices and a collapsing currency that has shaken the economy and pushed many Iranians into deeper economic hardship. The country’s currency fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar last weekend, while annual inflation climbed to 42.2 percent in December.

 

Iranian authorities have met past protest movements with force, detaining demonstrators and, at times, killing them. This time, officials say they are seeking talks with protest organizers and other representatives, with senior leaders even striking a more conciliatory tone.

 

The protests entered their sixth day on Friday, reflecting the deep frustration and grievance many Iranians have toward their government. Iran’s beleaguered economy has been weighed down by international isolation, Western sanctions and years of domestic mismanagement. And the government has faced backlash over a host of other issues, including water shortages, severe air pollution and women’s rights.

 

Demonstrators chanted slogans including, “Death to the dictator” and “Iranians, raise your voice, shout out for your rights,” according to videos shared by rights groups, media outlets and protesters on social media.

 

“I think Trump’s tweet has encouraged protesters, boosted their morale and raised public expectations,” said Mojtaba, 40, a medical doctor in the northeastern province of Khorasan, who asked that only his first name be used for fear of retaliation.

 

Mr. Trump’s remarks come nearly six months after the United States carried out airstrikes on several of Iran’s nuclear facilities. In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel this week, Mr. Trump said the United States would back Israeli strikes on Iran if Iran continued with its ballistic missile and nuclear weapon program. The president said he had received reports that Iran may be attempting to revive its nuclear program but offered no further details.

 

In Israel, the foreign ministry and several government ministers expressed support for the protesters and criticized the Iranian government in social media posts on Thursday and Friday. These included sharing cartoons on a Farsi-language account run by the foreign ministry that taunted Iran’s leadership and depicted its members in a state of panic over the continuing demonstrations.

 

“Your protests, by women and men, young people and students, mothers and fathers are justified,” Gila Gamliel, Israel’s minister of innovation, science and technology, said in a video posted on X on Thursday. “Israel is with you, and we support you in every way possible,” she added.

 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, on Friday scoffed at what he said were repeated American claims of “saving the Iranian people” and cited a litany of American actions, including the downing of an Iranian passenger plane in 1988 by the United States and last year’s strikes in coordination with Israel.

 

“Iranians will resolve their challenges through dialogue and mutual engagement, and will not permit any form of foreign interference,” he said in a statement on social media.

 

David M. Halbfinger contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

 

Abdi Latif Dahir is the East Africa correspondent for The Times, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He covers a broad range of issues including geopolitics, business, society and arts.