US will help if Iran ’brutally kills peaceful protesters’ - Trump
US President Donald Trump said that the United States is ready to intervene if the Iranian authorities use violence against peaceful protesters.
Trump made this statement on his social media platform Truth Social, according to Censor.NET.
"If Iran, as usual, opens fire and brutally kills peaceful protesters, the United States of America will come to their aid. We are ready for action," he said.
According to media reports, nationwide protests in Iran began among shop owners outraged by the sharp fall in the national currency against the US dollar on the open market. By Tuesday, December 30, university students had joined the protests. The protests are being called the largest since 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini.
Although the demonstrations began due to deteriorating economic conditions, participants also expressed dissatisfaction with the country's system of government. Women's rights activists, shop owners, and students chanted slogans such as "Death to the dictator" and "Woman, life, freedom." Calls for the overthrow of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei were also heard in various cities across Iran.
According to Iran International, on January 1, Iranian security forces shot and killed a protester, a father of two children, in the city of Marvdasht. The publication also reported on shootings and the use of tear gas by police in the cities of Nahavand, Asadabad, and Hamadan.
Earlier, Iranian state media reported that 13 police officers and members of the Basij militia had been injured during clashes in the city of Kuhdasht. The IRNA news agency also reported the death of a 21-year-old member of the Basij militia.
Why did people come out to protest?
The causes of unrest in Iran over the years have been economic problems, sanctions, water shortages, and issues of women's rights and political freedoms.
Against this backdrop, the local currency, the rial, recently fell to a record low of around 1.4 million to the US dollar. This is what caused discontent among the people. After that, the head of the country's central bank resigned.
