Iran threatens Trump after 'locked and loaded' warning
Donald Trump has been threatened with a "swift, decisive and comprehensive" response by Iran if the US intervenes following growing unrest in the country, with at least 10 people killed and dozens of arrests, according to reports.
Donald Trump has been threatened with a "swift, decisive and comprehensive" response by Iran if the US intervenes following growing unrest in the country, with at least 10 people killed and dozens of arrests, according to reports.
Iranian officials have been responding to the US president's pledge to "rescue" protesters if they were killed while demonstrating on the streets over a growing cost-of-living crisis.
If Iran "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," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a statement on Friday evening, Iran's foreign ministry condemned the "intimidating remarks" and accused the US of "escalating tensions in the region".
"The Islamic Republic of Iran's response to any aggression will be swift, decisive, and comprehensive," it added.
The US State Department shared a video of some of the protests on X. It said the "courage of the Iranian people is undeniable" and praised the demonstrators' "resolve in the face of repression".
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This week's protests are the biggest since nationwide demonstrations triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody in 2022.
The unrest has spread across the country, with deadly confrontations with security forces focused in western provinces.
State-affiliated media and rights groups have reported at least 10 deaths since Wednesday, including two men who authorities said were members of the Basij paramilitary force affiliated with the elite Revolutionary Guards.
Image: Protesters marching in Tehran on Monday. Pic: Fars News Agency/AP
