After US President Donald Trump warned Iran over its crackdown on protests, senior Iranian officials fired back, saying any US interference would set off instability across the region. Tensions between Washington and Tehran just keep rising.
Trump says, ‘We are locked and loaded’
On his Truth Social account, Trump threatened, “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, the US will come to their rescue.” He added, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” but didn’t explain what exactly that meant. Iranian officials dismissed his message outright.
Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and top security official, went so far as to accuse the US and Israel of fueling the protests, though he didn’t offer any proof.
Iran snaps back at Trump
Larijani warned that US involvement wouldn’t end well—it would just create chaos across the region and put American interests at risk. He urged Americans to realise that their own soldiers stationed throughout the Middle East could pay the price.
He seemed to be pointing at the US military presence nearby. Just last June, Iran attacked the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after US strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites during Israel’s brief conflict with Tehran.
Ali Shamkhani, another top adviser close to Iran’s supreme leader, weighed in too. He said any threat to Iran’s security would be met with force.
In response to Trump’s remarks, senior adviser to the ayatollah Ali Shamkhani said:
“The people of Iran know well how America’s ‘rescue missions’ end from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza. Any hand that reaches toward Iran’s security under any pretext will be cut off before it gets close with a response that will induce regret.”
Meanwhile, the protests gripping Iran have already turned deadly. Since unrest broke out on Sunday, at least seven people have died in clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
مع تصريحات المسؤولين الإسرائيليين و @realDonaldTrump، أصبح ما كان يجري خلف الكواليس واضحًا. نميّز بين موقف التجار المحتجّين وأعمال العناصر المُخرِّبة، وعلى ترامب أن يدرك أن تدخّل الولايات المتحدة في هذا الشأن الداخلي سيؤدي إلى زعزعة استقرار المنطقة بأكملها وتدمير المصالح… pic.twitter.com/QPIp8pJ8Xl
— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) January 2, 2026
What is the root cause?
The anger at the heart of these protests comes from Iran’s struggling economy. The national currency has tanked, growth is weak, and prices keep climbing. Inflation hit 42.5 percent in December, according to official numbers, but still staggering.
It started in Tehran, with shopkeepers marching in the streets. The movement grew fast after students from at least ten universities joined in. Markets shut down in several cities, and officials declared a public holiday, blaming cold weather. The country nearly ground to a halt.
In the last day, protests have spread to even more provinces, and some turned violent. According to CNN, demonstrators clashed with police, threw stones, and set vehicles on fire.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that some armed groups took advantage of the chaos, and authorities later confiscated firearms from several people.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and his civilian government say they’re open to talking with protesters. But the economy is still battered by years of US and Western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, a problem made worse by rising tensions and recent fighting with Israel.
