The US president said the US government would intervene if the Iranian government violently suppressed protests against high prices.
Published January 2, 2026
US President Donald Trump said Washington is “fully committed” to responding if Iran kills more protesters after protests demanding living wages in the country turned deadly.
Six people were reported killed in clashes between protesters and security forces in several Iranian cities on Thursday, the first fatalities since the unrest escalated.
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Shopkeepers in the capital Tehran went on strike on Sunday, citing high prices and economic stagnation, a move that later spread to other parts of the country.
“If Iran follows its custom and shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their aid,” President Trump said on his Truth social platform on Friday.
“We are locked, loaded and ready to go,” the Republican leader added.
Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, condemned President Trump’s comments, saying, “We should know that US intervention in this domestic issue is tantamount to chaos in the entire region and destruction of US interests.”
“We believe that the positions of the protesting shopkeepers and the vandals are different,” Larijani added in a post on X.
“The American people should know that Trump has started adventurism. They should take care of their soldiers.”
Larijani’s remarks were likely a reference to the United States’ extensive military presence in the region. In June, Iran attacked Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, after the US attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities during Israel and Iran’s 12-day war.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators in the city of Loudegan in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province, and three others in Azna in neighboring Lorestan province.
State television earlier reported that a member of Iranian security forces was killed overnight during a protest in the western city of Qudasht.
Authorities also reported dozens of arrests in multiple cities.
public dissatisfaction
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid al-Assadi said Iran’s economic woes are putting enormous pressure on the Iranian people.
“These protests initially started sporadically, but then spread to smaller cities across the country,” he said.
“This national mood and dissatisfaction can be seen in the protests,” he said, adding that clashes between protesters and security forces occurred mainly in smaller cities.
Iran’s economy has struggled for years since the United States reimposed sanctions in 2018 after President Trump withdrew from the international nuclear deal during his first term.
The deal was agreed to by his predecessor, Barack Obama, after a long series of negotiations involving Iran and other Western countries.
The protests are the largest since 2022, when riots broke out during the detention of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested on suspicion of violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Her death sparked a wave of nationwide outrage, leaving hundreds of people dead, including dozens of security forces.
