Trump threatens Iran with WAR: President says US is 'locked and loaded' after meeting with Netanyahu
Donald Trump has threatened Iran with war amid a violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters and just hours after he met with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: 12:32 GMT, 2 January 2026 | Updated: 14:04 GMT, 2 January 2026
Donald Trump has threatened Iran with war amid a violent crackdown on anti-regime protesters and just hours after he met with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
The President posted on Truth Social warning that if Tehran 'violently kills peaceful protesters,' the United States 'will come to their rescue.'
Anti-regime protests have sparked throughout the country following the collapse of Iran's rial currency. So far, at least seven individuals have been killed in the demonstrations as regime seeks to maintain power.
'We are locked and loaded and ready to go,' Trump added.
Regime spokesman Ali Larijani, who serves as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, responded to the President's threat on X by blaming Israel and the US for encouraging the protests.
Iran and Israel have been engaged in a 40-year proxy war that escalated in 2024 as the two Middle East countries launched missiles directly at each other.
Trump in June backed Israel by launching Operation Midnight Hammer, involving a raid by B-2 bombers dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the only world leader to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on New Year's Eve shortly before the president's threat.
President Donald Trump threatened to unleash war with Iran following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Anti-regime protests in Tehran have turned deadly following the collapse of the country's currency
Trump vowed to rescue protesters if the Iranian regime 'violently' kills them
Iranian officials have repeatedly blamed Western countries for stoking anti-regime protests amid economic slowdown in the country.
Trump's latest threats to unleash on Iran come amid increasing divide within the Republican Party over support for Israel.
Hardline MAGA loyalists such as Marjorie Taylor Greene have broken away from the president for continuing to support Israel against Iran in the Middle East via economic and military aide.
These developments could enflame those sensitive tensions as Republicans prepare for mid-term elections later this year.