Trump warns Iran, says US will come to rescue if protesters are targeted

US President Donald Trump on Friday local time warned Iran against using force on peaceful protesters and said that Washington is ldquolocked and loadedrdquo and will respond if Iranian authorities resort to violence news agency ANI reportedIn a post on Truth Social Trump wrote ldquoIf Iran shots 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 matterrdquoHis remarks come amid widespread protests in Iran over rising prices and worsening economic conditions with demonstrations spreading across multiple provinces and in some cases escalating into deadly confrontations with security forces ANI reported citing CNNAccording to Fars News Agency protesters clashed with police hurled stones at security personnel and set vehicles on fire The agency alleged that some armed ldquodisturbersrdquo took advantage of the gatherings and claimed without providing evidence that authorities later seized firearms from several individualsEarlier at least two people were killed during clashes between dozens of protesters and police in Lordegan county in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province ANI reported citing Fars It was not immediately clear whether those killed were protesters or members of the security forcesUnverified videos circulating online appeared to show demonstrators throwing stones at uniformed police in the area Fars further alleged that protesters targeted the governorrsquos office banks and other state buildings CNN saidIran protests Dozens arrested as country sees largest protests since 2022The earliest reported fatality linked to the current unrest occurred on Wednesday night when a member of Iranrsquos Basij paramilitary force was killed and 13 others injured in the city of Kuhdasht in Lorestan province according to stateaffiliated media Fars News Agency aired footage showing a police officer receiving medical treatment after allegedly being set on fire by protestersThe Basij paramilitary force is often deployed by Iranian authorities to suppress demonstrationsMeanwhile authorities detained at least 20 people during the protests the prosecutor of Kuhdasht said on Thursday according to staterun Tasnim News AgencyIn Malard county west of Tehran officials arrested 30 individuals for ldquodisturbing public orderrdquo Fars reported County official Mansour Saleki said those detained were ldquomisusing the lawful right to protestrdquo adding that several of the arrested individuals had travelled from neighbouring countiesProtests were joined by shop owners bazaar traders and university students in several Iranian cities this week with demonstrators chanting slogans against the government over economic hardship after the national currency fell to historic lowsThe latest unrest marks the largest demonstrations in Iran since the nationwide protests of 2022 which erupted following the death of 22yearold Mahsa Amini in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly violating the countryrsquos headscarf rulesThe US State Department said in a post on X on Wednesday that it was alarmed by reports of protesters facing ldquointimidation violence and arrestsrdquo and urged Iranian authorities to halt the crackdownldquoFirst the bazaars Then the students Now the entire country Iranians stand together Different lives one demand respect our voices and our rightsrdquo the State Department said in a Farsilanguage postThough still limited in scope the protests signal a new phase of growing public dissatisfaction in Iran as citizens increasingly reclaim public spaces and personal freedoms through spontaneous and largely uncoordinated acts of resistanceWith ANI inputs