According to Khabaronline, an Iranian news agency, Trump wrote: “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President Donald J. Trump...”
This statement prompted immediate reactions from high-ranking Iranian officials. Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded on his personal X account, stating:
“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. The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
Ali Shamkhani, a member of Iran’s Supreme Defense Council, also weighed in on X, writing: “Iranians know US ‘rescue’ record well, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza. Any intervening hand nearing Iran’s security on pretexts will be cut off with a regret-inducing response. Iran’s national security is a red line, not material for adventurist tweets.”
The Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament, Ebrahim Azizi, in response to the recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, labeled foreign interference in Iran's internal affairs as "irresponsible" and "illegal."
He stated: "If the United States has the capacity to solve its own domestic issues, it should first address serious problems such as homelessness and poverty within its own borders before attending to the internal affairs of Iran."
Azizi concluded by asserting that the Iranian nation will respond to foreign threats with unity and cohesion, stating: "These interferences will carry heavy costs for those who seek to meddle in Iran's affairs."
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, also wrote on X: "It is enough to review the long record of American politicians' actions for "saving the people of Iran" to grasp the depth of America's "empathy" with the Iranian nation; from organizing the August 19, 1953 coup against the elected government of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh by financing and equipping rioters, to shooting down the Iranian passenger airliner in 1988 and massacring innocent women and children over the Persian Gulf, to all-out support for Saddam in the 8-year war against Iranians, to complicity with the Israeli regime in assassinating and killing Iranians and attacking Iran's infrastructure in June 2025, and of course the sanctions that have been dubbed the harshest in history; and today, threats of attacking Iran under the pretext of sympathy for Iranians, in flagrant violation of the most important principle of international law!
Iranians, in dialogue and interaction with each other to solve problems, will allow no foreign intervention whatsoever."
Advisor and assistant to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mokhber, responded to Trump: “Trump said nothing new; they have been seeking unrest in Iran since 1953."
He added, "The criminal United States, through its oppressive sanctions, is exerting the highest level of hostility against our nation at this very moment."
"The people distinguish between genuine protests regarding professional grievances and livelihoods and other actions, and they always behave consciously during critical turning points, he concluded.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, has issued a response to Trump’s recent remarks, describing them as the "shout of the Devil."
Ghalibaf stated: "The shout of the Devil has grown loud because the efforts of armed field agents from intelligence services—who sought to transform the rightful protests of bazaar merchants and guilds into violent, armed urban warfare—have met with failure due to the historical awareness of the Iranian nation."
He emphasized the distinction between citizens and foreign actors, adding: "Throughout history, the Iranian nation has disappointed enemies far more experienced than these. We never equate the ranks of protesters with foreign mercenaries, and we hold our dear children [the Iranian youth] close to our hearts."
In a direct warning regarding U.S. military presence in the Middle East, Ghalibaf addressed the U.S. President: "Furthermore, the disrespectful U.S. President should know that with this official confession, all American bases and forces throughout the region will be our legitimate targets in response to any potential adventurism. Iranians are always united and determined to take action against any aggressor."
Iran's Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi also reacted to U.S president: "Those in Iran impacted by transient exchange rate volatility have recently been peacefully protesting, as is their right.
Separate from that, we have witnessed isolated incidents of violent riots—including attacks on a police station and throwing of Molotov cocktails at police officers. Given President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard within U.S. borders, he of all people should know that criminal attacks on public property cannot be tolerated."
"This is why President Trump’s message today, likely influenced by those who fear diplomacy or mistakenly believe it is unnecessary, is reckless and dangerous.
As in the past, the Great People of Iran will forcefully reject any interference in their internal affairs. Similarly, our Powerful Armed Forces are on standby and know exactly where to aim in the event of any infringement of Iranian sovereignty, he added."
Prior to these exchanges, several current and former U.S. and Israeli officials had voiced support for the unrest, seemingly seeking to "fan the flames" of the situation.
Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli Prime Minister and electoral rival to Netanyahu, explicitly supported the unrest in a video, inviting "each and every" Iranian to join the gatherings.
Similarly, Walid Gadban, an advisor to Israel's representative at the UN, published several tweets in Persian, calling on the Iranian people to continue the protests and urging them to "persevere."
Furthermore, Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN and former National Security Advisor, backed the domestic unrest in a tweet, stating: “We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country.”
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir has declared his support for the unrest within Iran. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Ben-Gvir wrote: “The people of Iran deserve to live a free and liberated life,” adding, “We stand with you.”
The protests in Iran started in late 2025 and early 2026, focused on the rising cost of living and inflation following a sharp decline in the value of the national currency. While the Iranian government has acknowledged the economic pressures on the public and the right to peaceful protests, it maintains that foreign actors are actively exploiting the situation to incite violence.