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President Donald Trump stated on Friday that the United States is ready to take action if Iran harms protesters, following deadly cost-of-living demonstrations in the country.
Clashes occurred between protesters and security forces in multiple Iranian cities on Thursday, resulting in six reported deaths, marking the first fatalities since the unrest intensified.
In the capital city of Tehran, shopkeepers began a strike on Sunday due to rising prices and an ongoing economic downturn, a movement that has since expanded to other regions of the country.
Trump expressed on his Truth Social platform that “if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their tradition, the United States of America will intervene.”
Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Thursday that two individuals lost their lives during confrontations between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, located in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, along with three casualties in Azna, in the adjacent Lorestan province.
Earlier reports from state television indicated that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight amid protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
The current demonstrations are smaller in scale compared to the significant upheaval in 2022, which was ignited by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress regulations for women.
Her passing triggered a nationwide wave of outrage, leading to several hundred deaths, including many members of the security forces.
