Ali Larijani, Iran’s secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, issued a sharp response to remarks by President Donald Trump.
Ali Larijani said in a post on X that U.S. interference in Iran’s protests would amount to “destabilizing the entire region and destroying American interests.”
Mr. Larijani added that statements by Israeli officials and President Trump had made the “behind-the-scenes” nature of the situation clear, saying Iranian authorities distinguished between protesting shopkeepers and what he described as destructive elements. “The American people should know that it was Mr. Trump who began this adventurism,” he said, warning Washington to “watch over its soldiers.”
Moments earlier, Mr. Trump warned that if Iran used force against people protesting “peacefully” and killed them, the United States would come to their aid.
Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, responded by saying Iranians were well acquainted with what he called America’s record of “rescue missions,” citing Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza. Any intervening hand that approached Iran’s security under pretexts, he said, would be stopped with what he described as a regret-inducing response before it could advance.
The protests in Iran, sparked by economic stagnation and rising prices, turned violent on Thursday. Five people were killed and about 20 others were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces.
The United States and Israel, Iran’s long-standing adversaries, have openly voiced support for the protests.
