'Locked and loaded': Trump threatens Iran over protester deaths Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 01/02/2026 - 17:13 At least seven people were killed amid mass protests in Iran over the cost of living People walk past an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran on 2 January 2026 (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump on Friday warned Iran that the US could intervene to "rescue" Iranians if they continue to be met with a harsh response from their government amid protests. "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform. At least seven people have been killed so far in mass protests that have erupted over the cost of living crisis as the local currency, the rial, effectively collapsed under the weight of US sanctions. One US dollar is equivalent to more than 42,000 Iranian Rial (IRR). But the unofficial currency that is in daily use is called the Toman, which is equivalent to 10 IRR. Images from local eateries show that a traditional meal like a rice and kebab platter can cost nearly 600 Toman. "Trump should know that intervention by the US in the domestic problem corresponds to chaos in the entire region and the destruction of US interests," Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, wrote on X in response, likely referring to US military bases in the region that Tehran could target as it did earlier this year in Qatar. "The people of the US should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers," he added. Earlier this week outside his Florida resort and gesturing to the Israeli prime minister beside him, Trump told reporters: "We just won a big war together." "You know, if we didn't beat Iran, you wouldn't have had peace in the Middle East, because nobody would have been able. The Arab countries, who have been fantastic, would not have been able to make a deal if we didn't wipe out their nuclear [capability]." US and Israel 'planted' media leaks alleging tensions before Iran attack: Report Read More » Iran - one of the top agenda items for the Trump-Netanyahu meeting - disputes that Israeli and US bombings in June "obliterated" its nuclear sites. "I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we're going to have to knock them down... We'll knock the hell out of them," Trump said. "But hopefully that's not happening. I heard Iran wants to make a deal. If they want to make a deal, that's much smarter," he added. Benjamin Netanyahu, however, made it clear during interviews he gave while on his US trip that he is making the case to relaunch an attack on Iran, and is seeking US support. Speaking to the Trump-aligned television channel Newsmax, Netanyahu continued to make his years-long case for a US attack on Iran. "They were throwing their weight all over the place, exporting terrorism not only to every part of the Middle East, but to Venezuela. They're in cahoots with the Maduro regime," he claimed. The Trump administration has been openly threatening Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with a US invasion and regime change. It has launched nearly a dozen strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea that the US alleges are drug boats coming from Venezuela. "They're exporting terrorism to America, to the American hemisphere," Netanyahu said about Iran. "I think we've dealt them devastating blows, but there's still some work to be done with the proxies, and we're doing it." US-Iran Tensions News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0