President Donald Trump warned early Friday that the U.S. would intervene if Iran started killing protesters.

Writing on Truth Social, the president said 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," Trump said.

Trump’s warning comes as demonstrations triggered by Iran’s deteriorating economy expand beyond the capital and raise concerns about a potential heavy-handed crackdown by security forces. At least seven people — including protesters and members of Iran’s security services — have been reported killed during clashes, according to international reporting.

Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, pushed back on Trump's post, writing on X that, "With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests."

"The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety," Larijani added.

The threat came after Iran launched an attack on Al-Udeid, the American airbase in Qatar, in June 2025. The base is home to 10,000 American forces and is the U.S.’s largest military installation in the Middle East. Located southwest of Doha, it serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

At the time, Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. after American B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites.

In the recent Iranian demonstrations, some of the most severe violence has been reported in western Iran, where videos circulating online appeared to show fires burning in streets and the sound of gunfire during nighttime protests....