“If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
President Donald Trump has warned that the US will intervene if Iran starts killing protesters and said that America is "locked and loaded" if necessary. This comes after the Trump administration in June took out Iran's nuclear facilities.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, "If Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J.TRUMP."
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2007082423121748269?s=20
Trump's warning comes as there have been protests opposing the Iranian government as the country's economy has been struggling. There have been at least seven people, including protesters as well as some of Iran's security forces, who were reported to have been killed in clashes in the country, per Fox News. Protestors have been heard chanting in the streets, “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.”
The former parliament speaker of Iran, Ali Larijani, who is also an official on Iran's Supreme National Security Council, pushed back on Trump, writing, "With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests."
https://twitter.com/alilarijani_ir/status/2007022780529664359?s=20
"The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety," he added.
There have been videos of violence taking place in western Iran, showing fires as well as the sound of gunfire in the streets.
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