U.S. President Donald Trump and high-ranking Iranian officials engaged in a war of words on Friday amidst growing economic unrest spreading through parts of Iran, heightening tensions following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
Trump issued a warning on his Truth Social platform, cautioning Iran that the United States would intervene if peaceful protestors were violently harmed. The demonstrations, sparked partly by the devaluation of Iran’s currency, have resulted in at least seven fatalities.
“We are prepared and equipped for action,” Trump stated without providing further details.
In response, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and current secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused Israel and the U.S. of fueling the protests on the social platform X. Larijani’s claim lacked substantiating evidence, echoing previous allegations by Iranian authorities during years of widespread protests within the country.
Larijani’s remarks seemed to allude to the extensive U.S. military presence in the region. Iran had retaliated against the U.S. strikes on three nuclear facilities in Israel’s 12-day conflict with Iran by targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June.
Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cautioned that any foreign interference threatening Iran’s security would be met with severe consequences.
The ongoing protests, now in their sixth day, mark Iran’s most significant unrest since 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. The current demonstrations, although not as widespread and intense as those following Amini’s death, have attracted attention nationwide.
Iran’s civilian government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, has expressed willingness to engage with protestors, acknowledging the challenges posed by the rapid devaluation of Iran’s currency, which initiated the protests.
The protests, primarily rooted in economic grievances, have also witnessed demonstrators voicing opposition to Iran’s theocratic rule. Despite Iran’s announcement of ceasing uranium enrichment at all domestic sites post-war, signaling openness to potential negotiations on its nuclear program, talks with the West have yet to materialize due to warnings from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.