US intervention will create chaos in entire region: Iran official

Iran warned the US not to interfere in its protests after President Donald Trump's threat; an Iranian official said any US action would lead to 'chaos in entire region' and damage American interests

A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned that any US interference in Iran’s ongoing protests could destabilise the entire region. The warning came in response to remarks by US President Donald Trump.

 

Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker and the current secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the protests. In a post on X, he alleged that both countries were behind the unrest. Iranian officials have made similar claims during past waves of protests.

 

“Trump should know that intervention by the US in the domestic problem corresponds (to) chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the US interests,” Larijani wrote on X.

 

 

“The people of the US should know that Trump started this adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”

 

Larijani’s comments followed a sharp warning from Trump, who said the US would intervene if Iran’s authorities kill peaceful protesters. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account.

 

At least seven people have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces since demonstrations began on Sunday. The protests first erupted in Tehran, where shopkeepers took to the streets over a steep fall in the national currency, weak economic growth and rising prices.

 

Public anger has been fuelled by soaring inflation, which officially reached 42.5 per cent in December.   

 

Students join unrest, cities see shutdowns

 

The protests gained strength on Tuesday as students from at least 10 universities joined the movement. Several markets were shut as demonstrations spread to different cities. The government also declared a holiday, officially citing cold weather, effectively bringing many areas to a standstill.

 

The worst violence was reported from Azna in Iran’s Lorestan province, around 300 kilometres southwest of Tehran. Videos circulating online showed fires burning on the streets, gunshots being heard, and crowds shouting “Shameless! Shameless!”

 

The current protests are the largest Iran has witnessed since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide protests. Amini had been detained by morality police over how she wore her hijab.

 

Trump warns Iran on nuclear programme

 

Trump also warned Iran against reviving its nuclear programme during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Florida residence on Tuesday.

 

Trump has repeatedly claimed that American strikes in June completely destroyed Iran’s key nuclear enrichment sites. However, Israeli officials have reportedly expressed concern that Iran may be attempting to rebuild its long-range missile capabilities.

 

"Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again", Trump told reporters as he welcomed Netanyahu to his Mar-a-Lago estate. And if they are, we're going to have to knock them down. We'll knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that's not happening," Trump said.