THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Trump’s remarks are a sharp escalation as protests over economic hardship turned deadly.
President Trump said on Friday that the United States would come to the aid of protesters in Iran if the government there used lethal force against them, in a sharp escalation of remarks after days of widespread demonstrations against the Iranian government.
The comments came a day after reports from Iranian state media and activists said that at least one person had been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces, as officials tried to contain protests incited by economic distress.
The demonstrations, which began among business owners and university students in major Iranian cities, have also spread to smaller towns. Several security officers have been injured in the protests, the authorities said. Semiofficial news outlets and a human rights organization reported clashes and fatalities during protests in the western city of Lordegan on Thursday, though the accounts could not be independently confirmed.
If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Friday morning. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” » | Abdi Latif Dahir | Friday, January 2, 2026
