US Signals Readiness to Act as Iran Sees Deadly Protests and Sharp Tehran Response
United States President Donald Trump said Washington was “locked and loaded” to respond if Iran kills more protesters, after demonstrations over the rising cost of living in Iran turned deadly. The remarks and a forceful reply from a senior Iranian security official heightened tensions as unrest spread across several cities.
The article was published on 2 Jan 2026. Authorities in Iran reported the first fatalities since the recent wave of unrest escalated, with six people killed in clashes between protesters and security forces. The confrontations followed strikes and demonstrations over high prices and economic stagnation.
Shopkeepers in the capital, Tehran, went on strike on Sunday over steep costs and a stagnant economy. The action spread to other parts of the country, with protests and clashes reported in several cities.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that two people were killed in Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three were killed in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province. State television reported that a member of Iran’s security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kuhdasht. Authorities also reported dozens of arrests across multiple cities.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said: “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.”
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a strong rebuke on X. He said the United States “should know that American interference in this internal issue is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests.”
Larijani also sought to distinguish between protesters and more disruptive actors, writing: “We consider the positions of the protesting merchants separate from those of the destructive elements.” He warned that “the people of the US should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”
Analysts and officials cited the broad US military presence in the region as a likely reference point for Larijani’s comments. In June, Iran attacked Al Udeid airbase in Qatar after what Tehran said were US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict involving Israel and Iran.
Reporting from Tehran for Al Jazeera, Tohid Asadi said Iran’s economic troubles have put significant pressure on the public. “These protests initially started sporadically, but later they have spread into smaller cities across,” he said. “We can see this public mood and dissatisfaction in the protests.”
Asadi added that the confrontations between protesters and security forces have mainly taken place in smaller cities, consistent with the reported locations of the recent fatalities.
Observers point to long-standing economic difficulties as a key driver of the unrest. Iran’s economy has struggled since 2018, when the United States reimposed sanctions after withdrawing from an international nuclear agreement reached under the previous US administration. The nuclear deal had been negotiated during the presidency of Barack Obama.
These demonstrations are the largest seen since 2022, when nationwide unrest followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women. That wave of protests resulted in several hundred deaths, including dozens among security forces, according to previous reporting.
The recent exchanges between Washington and Tehran come as Iranian authorities face domestic pressure over rising prices and stagnant living standards. The US warning of potential intervention if protesters are killed and Tehran’s sharp response underscore the risk that domestic unrest could intersect with broader regional tensions.
For now, Iranian authorities have continued to deploy security forces to contain demonstrations in multiple cities while the government frames the unrest as partly driven by destructive elements distinct from protesting merchants. On the other side, the US public statement signals heightened attention to the human cost of any violent suppression of demonstrators.
The situation remained fluid as demonstrations spread and officials on both sides maintained strong public rhetoric. Authorities reported arrests and fatalities, and reporters on the ground described growing public dissatisfaction linked to economic hardship.
The coming days will be watched closely by regional and international observers for signs of whether the protests expand further, whether security responses intensify, and whether the diplomatic rhetoric between Tehran and Washington translates into other forms of action or escalation.
Key Topics
Iran Protests 2026, Rising Cost Of Living, Economic Stagnation, Tehran Shopkeepers Strike, Fatalities In Protests, Security Forces Crackdown, Arrests During Protests, United States Locked And Loaded Warning, Donald Trump Statement, Ali Larijani Response, Us-iran Tensions, Regional Military Presence, 2018 Us Sanctions Reimposition, 2022 Mahsa Amini Protests