US President Donald Trump’s warning that the United States would intervene if Iranian authorities “violently kill peaceful protesters” has drawn strong condemnation from Iran.
Iran’s United Nations ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, formally complained to the UN secretary-general and the president of the UN Security Council, asking them to condemn what he called Trump’s “reckless and provocative” statements. He said the remarks violated the UN Charter and international law and amounted to an attempt to incite internal unrest as a pretext for external pressure or military action. Iran, he said, reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and would respond “decisively and proportionately” to any aggression, holding the United States responsible for the consequences of its threats.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Trump’s comments as “reckless and dangerous”, warning that Iran’s armed forces were on standby and would respond to any attack. He also rejected any foreign interference in Iran’s internal affairs.
Senior Iranian officials reiterated these warnings. Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said US interference would lead to “chaos across the entire region” and damage American interests. At the same time, Iran’s police and judicial authorities warned that attempts to turn unrest into instability would face a firm response.
In contrast, President Masoud Pezeshkian adopted a more conciliatory tone. He acknowledged that the government was partly “at fault” for the situation and promised to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands”.
Trump, speaking on social media and earlier alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, did not specify what form US intervention might take. His remarks came against the backdrop of heightened tensions following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites earlier in the year and renewed warnings that Washington would act if Iran advanced its nuclear or ballistic missile programmes.
Backstory to the protests
The current protests began in Tehran and spread nationwide after shopkeepers went on strike over soaring prices, economic stagnation and a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar. The unrest quickly expanded beyond merchants to include university students and other groups, with demonstrations reported in cities such as Qom, Mashhad, Marvdasht, Yasuj, Hamedan and Azna, as well as several neighbourhoods of the capital.
Iran’s economic crisis has been deepened by high inflation, a collapsing currency and years of severe drought, particularly affecting Tehran and other major cities. Protesters voiced anger not only at rising living costs but also at other governance failures.
Authorities report that at least eight to nine people have been killed during the unrest, with dozens arrested. Some deaths occurred during clashes with security forces, while one fatality in Qom was linked by officials to a grenade explosion allegedly intended to incite unrest. Independent verification of all casualties has not been possible.
While the demonstrations are described as the most widespread since the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, they have not yet reached the same scale.
