US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to the Iranian government, stating that the United States is prepared to intervene if security forces continue to kill peaceful protesters. The warning, posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday, January 2, 2026, comes as Iran experiences its most violent economic unrest in three years.
Okay News learnt that at least seven people, including a volunteer member of the Iranian security forces, have been killed during clashes triggered by a worsening cost-of-living crisis. The protests began earlier this week as shopkeepers and citizens expressed outrage over a sharp currency slide and skyrocketing prices, conditions largely attributed to the long-standing economic sanctions reimposed during Trump’s first term.
In his statement, President Trump declared the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go” to the rescue of demonstrators if the Iranian regime resorts to its “custom” of violent crackdowns. Iranian officials have responded swiftly; Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, accused the US and Israel of stoking the unrest, warning that American intervention would lead to regional chaos and the destruction of US interests.
As security forces and protesters continue to clash across multiple provinces, the Iranian government has characterized national security as a “red line.”
While the current demonstrations are smaller in scale than the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, the rhetoric from Washington and the rising death toll in cities like Kouhdasht suggest a high-stakes standoff between the two nations at the start of the new year.
