Iran fires broadside at US over Trump’s protests comments
US President Donald Trump.
Image: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
Iran has fired a broadside at the US, saying President Donald Trump was a bully for saying he was “locked and loaded” and ready to target its officials in the event they open fire on local protesters.
This comes after Trump threatened military action against Iran if its authorities handled protests violently, saying Washington was ready to “come to the rescue” of Iranians.
"If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the US will come to their rescue … we are locked and loaded and ready to go," he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump’s remarks come as US and Israeli officials have stepped up rhetoric calling for changes in Iran’s government.
The warnings coincide with protests in several Iranian cities, where shopkeepers and residents are demonstrating against rising inflation and economic hardship, demanding government action.
In a statement on Friday, Iran’s foreign ministry said the comments were irresponsible.
"Such irresponsible positions, which constitute a continuation of the US’s bullying and unlawful approach toward the Iranian nation, not only represent a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles and rules of the UN Charter and international law regarding respect for national sovereignty, but also amount to incitement to violence and terrorism against Iranian citizens," the ministry said.
The statement also recalled decades of US actions against Iran, including the 1953 coup, support for Iraq during the eight-year war, the 1988 downing of a civilian airliner that killed 300 people, cooperation with Israel on attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, and long-running sanctions that affected ordinary Iranians.
The ministry emphasised that Iranians will resolve their own domestic issues without foreign interference and called on the UN Security Council and secretary-general to uphold international law.
"The foreign ministry sees the threatening remarks of US officials against Iran as being in line with the Zionist regime’s policy that's aimed at escalating tension in the region, and underlines that the response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any act of aggression will be swift, decisive, and comprehensive.
"It is self-evident that responsibility for the consequences of such a situation, which could further plunge the entire region into crisis and instability, will rest fully with the US regime," it added.
IOL News