Nationwide protests in Iran erupted on December 28 after a sharp collapse of the national currency—the rial fell to a record low—alongside a rapid rise in food prices and the cost of basic goods. Initially concentrated in Tehran’s commercial districts, where traders and shop owners shuttered their businesses and took to the streets with economic demands, the demonstrations quickly spread within days to major cities including Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad, drawing in students, workers and other social groups. Anger over economic conditions was soon reinforced by anti-regime political slogans, turning the movement into the country’s largest wave of street protests since 2022.
Donald Trump has warned Iran that the United States is prepared to come to the “aid” of protesters if the authorities in Tehran respond with violence to the largest nationwide demonstrations the Islamic republic has seen in several years.
In a post on Truth Social early on Friday, the US president said: “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, as is their custom, the United States of America will come to their aid. We are fully combat-ready and prepared to act.”
Since Sunday, Iranians have been taking to the streets over economic grievances. Growing anger over surging inflation and a sharp collapse in living standards has spilled over into mass street protests.
According to Iranian media, several people have been killed in the unrest, and after protests in a number of cities and provincial centres turned violent, the authorities arrested dozens of participants.
Iran’s authorities have a reputation for ruthlessly suppressing large-scale protest movements.
Trump’s statement came just over six months after the United States briefly joined Israel’s 12-day war against the republic in June, striking key Iranian nuclear facilities.
During that war, Tehran feared Israel was pursuing regime change, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to rise up. For years, Iran has voiced concerns about western interference in its domestic affairs.
There is no credible organised opposition either inside or outside the republic, and protests are often marked by the absence of clear leadership.
This week, Trump also warned that the United States could carry out new strikes on Iran if it is determined to be rebuilding its nuclear programme. The remarks came amid his talks with Netanyahu.
It remains unclear what Trump’s pledge to assist protesters would mean in practice.
Ali Larijani, Iran’s senior security adviser, responded to Trump’s post by saying it exposed “what was happening behind the scenes”.
“We distinguish between the position of protesting traders and the actions of destructive elements, and Trump must understand that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying American interests,” he said.
He also added that the American public should know: “Trump started this adventurism. They should bear in mind the safety of their soldiers.”
The protests, marked by sharp anti-regime slogans including chants of “death to the dictator”, have become a serious test for President Masoud Pezeshkian, who came to power about 18 months ago pledging to reform the economy and ease the lives of ordinary Iranians.
In scale, the current demonstrations are the largest since the events of 2022, when a woman detained for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly died in custody. More than 300 people were killed during the crackdown on the protests known as “Women, Life, Freedom”, Amnesty International reported.
This week’s protests began in Tehran’s commercial district amid a collapse of the national currency and then spread to universities, as well as other cities and towns. In recent days, the capital has remained relatively calm.
In the south-western city of Lordegan on Thursday, protesters chanted slogans and pelted government buildings, including the governor’s office, with stones, according to Fars, a news agency linked to the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. According to the Norwegian human rights group Hengaw, two protesters aged 28 and 21 were killed in the clashes. Tasnim, another outlet affiliated with the Guards, named the dead.
Fars said there were casualties on both sides, though the exact number of injured was not specified. In the town of Azna in the western province of Lorestan, three people were killed, according to Fars and Hengaw. Fars said armed attackers assaulted a police station, set official vehicles on fire and attacked an ammunition depot.
At least 17 people were arrested. In Karaj, west of Tehran, 14 people were detained whom local media described as members of a “network” allegedly involved in manufacturing explosives, including Molotov cocktails.
Pezeshkian’s government has taken steps to ease tensions, holding meetings with business leaders and appointing a new central bank chief in an attempt to restore “economic stability”.
On Thursday evening, Iran’s president said that “people’s welfare is a red line for the government”, stressing that resolving economic problems is a “non-negotiable” responsibility of his administration, without directly referring to the ongoing protests.