US President Donald Trump has once again issued a sharp warning to Iran, saying the United States would strike "very hard" if Iranian authorities resort to violence against people demonstrating across the country. Speaking to a conservative radio platform, Trump said, "I have let them know that if they start killing people ... we are going to hit them very hard," stressing that Washington would not remain silent if protesters were harmed, Xinhua news agency reported.
US maintains pressure on Tehran
Trump's remarks mirror several recent statements from senior US officials who have repeatedly cautioned Tehran against taking action that could endanger "peaceful protesters." The administration has indicated that it is closely monitoring the situation on the ground.
Iran hits back at US comments
Iran's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday criticised the US stance, calling Washington's statements "interventionist and deceptive." The ministry said the comments highlight the United States' "continued hostility toward the Iranian people," arguing that American reactions to the internal unrest reflect a well-known pattern of political interference rather than sincere concern. In its statement, Iran added that the United States has long relied on policies of pressure and intervention in Iran's internal affairs. According to the ministry, Washington’s latest comments were consistent with this established approach.
Protests erupt in Iran's capital
Notably, people in Iran's capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night after a call by the country's exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration, witnesses said, a new escalation in the protests that have spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began.
The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Iran's ailing economy.
Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 39 people while more than 2,260 others have been detained, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
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