Trump says if Iran kills protesters, U.S. will "come to their rescue"

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President Trump warned Friday successful a societal media station that if Iran "violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America volition travel to their rescue."

Mr. Trump connection nary further remark connected Iran oregon however the U.S. mightiness intervene to support protesters successful the state successful the post connected his Truth Social network, which was published conscionable earlier 3 a.m. Eastern, but helium said: "We are locked and loaded and acceptable to go."

It came hours aft reports that astatine slightest six radical person been killed amid astir a week of escalating protests successful Iran. The unrest began past play arsenic concern owners voiced vexation astatine the dire economical conditions successful the Islamic Republic.

Iran has been plagued for years by staggering hyperinflation, fueled by Western sanctions imposed implicit the hardline clerical government's atomic programme and backing for militant groups crossed the region.

Videos and photos from Tehran and different cities posted connected societal media person shown protesters marching done streets from aboriginal this week, often chanting anti-government, pro-monarchy slogans and sometimes clashing violently with information forces.

Protests erupt crossed Iran arsenic currency sinks to grounds low 04:11

In an evident bid to quell the unrest, Iranian authorities person acknowledged the economical concerns and said peaceful protests are legitimate, but suggested that overseas powers — usually a notation to Israel and the U.S. — are down subversive elements fueling unit connected the streets.

Both the U.S. and Israeli governments had issued statements successful enactment of the protests anterior to Mr. Trump's informing of a possible, undefined U.S. involution connected Friday morning.

"The radical of Iran privation freedom. They person suffered astatine the hands of the Ayatollahs for excessively long," Mike Waltz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said successful a post connected X earlier this week. "We basal with Iranians successful the streets of Tehran and crossed the state arsenic they protestation a extremist authorities that has brought them thing but economical downturn and war."

Tension betwixt the U.S. and Iran escalated this week connected the heels of a sojourn to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has campaigned his country's adjacent allies successful Washington for decades to instrumentality a tougher stance connected Iran.

After meeting with Netanyahu astatine his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida connected Sunday, Mr. Trump said helium had heard that Iran could beryllium attempting to rebuild its atomic programme pursuing the unprecedented U.S. strikes connected its enrichment facilities successful June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did effort to rebuild, "we'll sound them down. We'll sound the hellhole retired of them. But hopefully that's not happening."

On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahsoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would respond "to immoderate cruel aggression" with unspecified "harsh and discouraging" measures.

Iran is nary alien to nationwide protests, and the latest demonstrations person not travel adjacent to the past large outbreak successful 2022, which was triggered by the death successful constabulary custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman.

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Her decease successful custody aft being arrested for allegedly violating the nation's strict formal codification for women sparked a question of choler crossed the nation. Several 100 radical were killed, including dozens of members of the information forces, who waged a melodramatic crackdown successful response, arresting hundreds of people.

There were besides wide protests successful 2019, sparked by a crisp summation successful the terms of petrol.

The standoff betwixt Iran and the U.S. implicit the Islamic Republic's atomic programme reached a crescendo successful June, erstwhile Mr. Trump ordered the deadly military strikes against Iran's enrichment facilities, arsenic Israel besides carried retired strikes connected the country.

While Mr. Trump indicated earlier this week that the U.S. could instrumentality caller enactment if Iran were to rebuild its atomic program, Friday's little station connected societal media was the archetypal proposition of a imaginable American involution connected behalf of Iranian protesters.