President Donald Trump on Thursday again warned that the United States could take military action against Iran as demonstrations spread across the country and the reported death toll from a government crackdown continued to rise. His comments came the same day Iranian authorities shut down internet access nationwide, restricting information about protests fueled by a worsening economic crisis.
“If they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots—they have lots of riots—if they do it, we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said. Addressing the Iranian public, he added, “You must stand up for your right to freedom. There is nothing like freedom. You are a brave people. It’s a shame what’s happening to your country.”
The remarks coincided with the largest wave of protests Iran has seen in years. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights reported Thursday that Iranian security forces have killed at least 45 protesters since demonstrations began in late December, including eight minors. Wednesday was described as the deadliest day so far, with 13 people reportedly killed. On Thursday, Iranian authorities shut down internet access across the country, a move that significantly limited communication and reporting from protest areas.
The unrest began after a sharp collapse in Iran’s currency intensified an already severe cost-of-living crisis. Over the past year, the average cost of food has increased by 70 percent, while the cost of medicine has risen by 50 percent. The rial has continued a long decline, reaching roughly 1.4 million to the dollar in December. Before Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the currency traded at around 70 to the dollar. At the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, one dollar traded for approximately 32,000 rials.
The currency collapse has been closely tied to U.S. policy. The rial has lost 95 percent of its value since 2018, when Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions. Since returning to office last year, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign, imposing more severe economic sanctions and overseeing a 12-day war in June during which the United States struck several Iranian nuclear sites.
Trump first issued his latest warning last Friday on Truth Social, writing that “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.” He reiterated that position Thursday in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots… we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said. When Hewitt noted that dozens of protesters had already been killed, Trump responded, “I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that, but… they’ve been told very strongly—even more strongly than I’m speaking to you right now—that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell.”
Asked to address the demonstrators directly, Trump said, “You should feel strongly about freedom… You’re brave people. It’s a shame what’s happened to your country. Your country was a great country.”
US officials echoed Trump’s focus on Iran’s economic vulnerability. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Economic Club of Minnesota that “The Iranian economy is on the ropes,” calling the current situation “a very precarious moment.” Bessent added, “This is a tense moment.” He said it was clear that “what had been an affluent society that still maintained a high standard of living is really crumbling, and a lot of that is through the sanctions.”
More aggressive rhetoric came from Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned Iran’s leaders that “if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life—Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.” Graham had previously said Iran’s “weakened” condition was due in part to Trump’s efforts to “economically isolate” the country.
Iranian officials rejected US accusations and blamed the unrest on outside interference. President Masoud Pezeshkian urged authorities to exercise “utmost restraint” in handling the demonstrations. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini took a harder line, saying that “rioters” must be “put in their place.” A senior judge also accused protesters of acting as agents of the United States and Israel.
The protests intensified after Reza Pahlavi, the exiled former crown prince and son of Iran’s US-backed shah, called on people to take to the streets. Pahlavi has lived primarily in the United States since the royal family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution. On Thursday, he met with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Pressed on whether he would meet with Pahlavi, Trump said, “I’ve watched him, and he seems like a nice person, but I’m not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that.” He added, “I think that we should let everybody go out there and we see who emerges.”
Critics have noted that Trump’s warnings to Iran contrast sharply with his record on protests in the United States. He has previously supported the use of force against demonstrators and threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to suppress protests. One day before issuing his latest threat to Iran, Trump defended a federal immigration agent who fatally shot an unarmed mother in Minneapolis, while members of his administration falsely described her as a “domestic terrorist.”
As demonstrations continue and communication remains restricted, the full scope of the crackdown remains difficult to assess. What is evident from the reporting is that Iran’s economic collapse, accelerated by years of sanctions, has converged with an escalating political confrontation in which the US president is openly threatening military retaliation.
“The Iranian economy is on the ropes,” Bessent said.
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