TEHRAN, Iran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday instructed security forces to refrain from using force against protesters, emphasising a clear distinction between peaceful demonstrators and armed “rioters.”
In a video released by Mehr news agency following the cabinet meeting, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said that President Pezeshkian had “ordered that no security measures be taken against the demonstrators.”
A day earlier, the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Defence Council had issued a sharply worded statement declaring that the country will not hesitate to deliver a “decisive, proportionate, and determining response” to any continued aggression or hostile actions against it.
The warning, broadcast via state media, underscores Tehran’s increasingly assertive defence posture amid simmering regional tensions and stalled nuclear negotiations.
The statement condemned what it described as an “escalation of threatening rhetoric and meddlesome remarks” against the Islamic Republic by foreign actors.
General Amir Hatami, commander of the Iranian army and one of its top military officials, warned that Tehran will not tolerate external threats “without responding.”
Speaking to the Fars news agency, Hatami said that “if the enemy makes a mistake,” Iran’s response would be stronger than during last June’s 12-day conflict with Israel.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump warned Iran against the use of force against protesters, saying Washington “will come to their rescue”.
In a brief post on social media, he wrote: “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” but gave no further details.
A senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by saying Trump should “be careful” if he intervened, warning of potential chaos across the Middle East.
In Friday’s post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue.”
In his post, the US president did not specify what action Washington could take against Iran.
The current economic demonstrations remain smaller than the 2022–2023 protests, and far below the mass street protests of 2009 following disputed elections.
However, they have drawn significant international attention, including from leaders of countries considered adversaries of Iran.
