President Donald Trump on Friday issued a blunt warning to Iran, declaring the United States “locked and loaded” as economic protests spread across the Islamic Republic.

“If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, offering no details on what such a response would entail.

The message comes as demonstrations entered their sixth day, fueled by a currency collapse that has sent prices soaring and sharpened public anger. At least seven people have been reported killed in clashes linked to the protests.

The protests in Iran are being driven by economics first. The rial has cratered to roughly 1.4 million to the dollar, eroding wages and savings and pushing basic goods further out of reach. While demonstrations remain uneven and have not yet reached nationwide scale, chants have increasingly turned political, targeting the country’s clerical leadership.

Iran’s civilian government under President Masoud Pezeshkian has tried to signal openness to dialogue with protesters. But Pezeshkian has publicly conceded he has little leverage over the currency’s collapse, a reality that has limited the government’s ability to tamp down unrest without force.

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the United States and Israel of stoking the demonstrations, warning that American intervention would bring “chaos in the entire region.” The claim echoes long-standing assertions by Tehran during previous protest waves, though no evidence was offered.

Another senior figure, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any “interventionist hand” nearing Iran’s security would be “cut.”

The exchange comes as the nuclear file remains unresolved. Months after the war, Tehran said it had halted uranium enrichment at all sites, an apparent signal to the West that it remains open to negotiations aimed at easing sanctions. No talks have followed.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both warned Iran against reconstituting its atomic program, while Iran insists its efforts are peaceful despite enriching uranium to levels with no civilian use and restricting inspectors’ access.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)