Amid widespread economic protests in Iran, tensions escalated further as U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian officials engaged in a war of words on Friday. Trump took to his Truth Social platform to caution Iran, stating that the U.S. would intervene if peaceful protesters were harmed. The demonstrations, triggered partly by the devaluation of Iran’s rial currency, have already resulted in at least seven fatalities.
In response, former Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani, who now heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused Israel and the U.S. of instigating the protests without providing any evidence. He warned against U.S. intervention, suggesting it would lead to regional chaos and harm American interests.
References were made to the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, with Iran having targeted Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during a recent conflict. Another Iranian official, Ali Shamkhani, cautioned against any threats to Iran’s security, highlighting past experiences with American involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Gaza.
The ongoing protests, the largest since 2022, have been primarily driven by economic grievances but have also seen calls for political reform in Iran’s theocratic system. President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration has expressed a willingness to engage with protesters, acknowledging the economic challenges faced by Iranians due to the rapid devaluation of the rial.
Despite Iran’s recent statement about halting uranium enrichment and signaling openness to negotiations, talks on its nuclear program have stalled amid warnings from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.