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By Dalena Reporters l January 2, 2026
WASHINGTON / TEHRAN — In a stark escalation of rhetoric with potentially far-reaching implications for Middle East stability, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, January 2, 2026, publicly warned that the United States is prepared to intervene militarily in Iran if Tehran’s authorities violently suppress nationwide protests marking one of the most direct threats against the Islamic Republic in years.
Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump framed his statement as a cautionary deterrent directed at Iran’s leadership amid a wave of demonstrations sparked by deepening economic hardship, including soaring inflation and a collapsing national currency. Trump wrote that “if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue” and declared that Washington was “locked and loaded and ready to go.
The protests across Iran which have been described by international media as the largest in several years have turned deadly, with several demonstrators and at least one member of Iran’s Basij paramilitary reported killed in clashes with security forces in multiple provinces. Demonstrations have spread to urban centres including Lorestan and Chaharmahal-and-Bakhtiari, where videos circulated online show confrontations between police and protestors decrying economic mismanagement.
Iranian officials responded sharply to Trump’s warning. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, condemned Washington’s remarks on social media, asserting that U.S. interference would “destabilise the entire region” and undermine American interests. Larijani’s comments reflect Tehran’s longstanding view that foreign involvement in domestic affairs — particularly from the U.S. and Israel threatens regional security.
Senior advisers to Iran’s supreme leadership also issued stern warnings. Ali Shamkhani, a key security official, said Tehran would treat any attempt at external intervention as a “red line” and pledged that actions perceived as threats to Iran’s security would be met with force, further raising the risk of confrontation.
The exchange comes within the context of already heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, including U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025 and Tehran’s backing of militia groups across the Middle East. Iranian authorities, while acknowledging the economic grievances driving protests, have also framed dissent as influenced by foreign foes a narrative echoed in official media and statements.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in contrast, has acknowledged domestic policy failings and pledged dialogue with protesters, characterising the unrest as rooted in economic missteps rather than foreign agitation. Nonetheless, Tehran’s broader leadership remains defiant, and its military apparatus has signalled readiness to resist external pressure.
The situation poses a diplomatic and security dilemma: U.S. threats of military support for protesters may galvanise Iranian hardliners, complicate negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme, and risk wider regional escalation — particularly where U.S. forces and Iranian proxies are already in volatile proximity. Analysts warn that any miscalculation could have serious consequences for both domestic Iranian stability and broader Middle East geopolitics.