Rhetoric between the US and Iran quickly escalated on Friday, after President Donald Trump warned that his country was “locked and loaded” to intervene if Iran violently suppresses protests, prompting Tehran to threaten US troops.
Mr Trump's warning, after days of demonstrations over economic hardship that left at least six people dead, marks the most direct US threat and strongest remarks yet since the protests erupted last Sunday.
"If Iran [shoots] 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," he wrote on Truthsocial.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, responded swiftly, warning of chaos and attacks against US troops if Washington intervenes.
“We distinguish between the positions of protesting shopkeepers and those of disruptive elements, and Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and undermining American interests," he wrote on X.
"The American people should know that Trump started this adventurism. They should look after their soldiers.”
Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, also said Iranians, through dialogue and interaction among themselves to resolve their problems, will "allow no foreign intervention whatsoever".
The remarks came as Iran faced a week of unrest, the most significant since nationwide protests in 2022. The latest demonstrations have been caused by soaring inflation, a collapsing currency and rising living costs.
State-affiliated media and rights groups have reported at least six deaths since Wednesday, including one man who authorities said was a member of the Basij paramilitary.
The unrest began on Sunday when shopkeepers in Tehran closed their businesses in protest against inflation and the falling rial. Demonstrations later spread as students at about 10 universities, including in Tehran, joined in. A government building in southern Iran was attacked on Wednesday, prompting the country's top prosecutor to warn of a “decisive response” to any attempt to create instability.
On Thursday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged to crack down on bribery and rent-seeking, while urging unity and restraint.
Speaking at a ceremony in Tehran to mark the anniversary of the killing of senior Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani in a US drone attack in Baghdad, Mr Pezeshkian said his government was determined to pursue economic reforms and tackle corruption, despite resistance from powerful interests.
“We are determined to eradicate all forms of rent-seeking, smuggling and bribery,” he said, acknowledging that the effort would not be easy. “Those who benefit from these rents will resist and try to create obstacles, but we will continue on this path.”
Mr Pezeshkian struck a more conciliatory tone than Iranian leaders have adopted during previous waves of unrest, calling for dialogue and stressing national unity.
“We must all stand together to solve the people’s problems and defend the rights of the oppressed and the underprivileged,” he said. Protecting people’s livelihoods is a “red line” for his government, he added.
Mr Pezeshkian outlined plans to reform Iran’s subsidy system by redirecting state support from producers and importers to ordinary citizens, saying subsidies would be paid directly to individuals rather than being distributed at the start of supply chains.
“It is not just to place the country’s resources in the hands of a select few,” he said, criticising the practice of granting subsidised foreign currency to certain groups who then sell imported goods at market prices.
Iran’s economy has been under severe strain for years owing to US and international sanctions linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme. The rial lost more than a third of its value against the dollar in 2025, while last month the annual inflation rate stood at more than 50 per cent, official data shows.
In a broader appeal for cohesion amid the unrest, Mr Pezeshkian warned against what he described as efforts to sow division through rumours and disinformation. “Unity, cohesion and solidarity are essential if we are to overcome these challenges,” he said.
While the latest protests are less widespread than the 2022 demonstrations, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, analysts say the unrest reflects deep-seated economic frustration after Iran's war with Israel last June that devastated parts of the country, especially after the US entered the conflict and struck nuclear sites.
US senator Ted Cruz has linked the protests to what he described as Iran’s military setbacks against Israel, saying the unrest reflects growing public anger at Tehran’s leadership.
In a post on social media on Thursday, Mr Cruz said Iran’s confrontation with Israel exposed the weakness of regime. “Losing wars has consequences,” he wrote. “Israel’s 12-day campaign against the Iranian regime and President Trump’s historic decision to destroy its nuclear programme have exposed the regime’s weakness to the Iranian people and the world. The Iranian people are rising up and the Ayatollah’s [Ali Khamenei] days are numbered."
