The President of the United States Donald Trump, made a public statement on Friday, sending a stern message to Tehran regarding the treatment of peaceful protesters.

He said that if Iran opens fire and there are fatalities among citizens who are demonstrating, the United States will intervene to protect them.

“We are ready for action and ready to begin,” he wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform.

Deaths from turbulent protests over rising prices in Iran

At least six people lost their lives on Thursday in clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces in three cities across the country, marking the first reported deaths from the new wave of demonstrations sparked by rising prices and the high cost of living.

The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, when shopkeepers went on strike to protest high prices and the erosion of purchasing power. Within a few days, the demonstrations spread to other parts of the country, taking on a more intense character.

The Fars news agency reported that two people were killed in the city of Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, and three others in the city of Azna, in the neighboring province of Lorestan. According to the same agency, in Lordegan “some protesters began throwing stones at administrative buildings in the city,” including the governor’s office, the mosque, the Martyrs Foundation, the city hall, and banks, with police responding by using tear gas.

The buildings sustained “serious damage,” according to the same source, while security forces carried out arrests of individuals described as “instigators.” In Azna, Fars reported that “troublemakers exploited a protest gathering to attack a police station.” During previous rounds of unrest, state media have often referred to protesters as “troublemakers,” adopting harsh rhetoric.

Earlier the same day, state television reported that a member of the security forces was killed during protests in the city of Kuhdasht, in western Iran. According to the deputy governor of Lorestan province, Saeed Pourali, the victim was a 21-year-old member of the Basij, who are affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards. He also noted that during the clashes, 13 police officers and Basij members were injured by stone-throwing.

The current protests are smaller in scale compared with the massive wave of unrest in 2022, which was triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody, following her arrest for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women. Those demonstrations led to the deaths of hundreds of people, including dozens of members of the security forces.