'If they start killing people...': Trump warns Khamenei of strike as Iran protest enters second week

Amid massive protest in Iran and a day after American strike on Venezuela, US President Donald Trump warned Iran that it would get "hit very hard" by the United States if more protesters die. The US president was speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, and he also commented on Cuba, Venezuela, Indian oil purchase from Russia and the contentious Greenland issue. Demonstrations against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has entered second week.

"We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they're going to get hit very hard by the United States," Trump told reporters. Earlier on Jan 2, he had taken to Truth Social and said, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had slammed Trumpa after his warning. He said any US interference in Iranian protests would lead more turbulence in the region. Larijani’s remarks came after the US president’s warning indicating that Washington would not keep silent if Tehran used lethal force against peaceful protesters.

Iran Protest: Is regime change imminent?

Iranians have taken to street to protest against the economic collapse, and are demanding political regime change and personal freedom. The protest was triggered after the Iranian rial hit a record low of approximately 1.45 million to 1 USD in December 2025, losing nearly half its value since the start of the year. Soon after, inflation hit all time high with food prices surging by 72 per cent and medical goods by 50 per cent. The widespread protest also comes after a 2026 budget proposed 62 per cent tax increase.

Protests began on December 28 when the bazaari (merchant class) closed their shops and took to the streets. It expanded to Ahvaz, Hamadan, Qeshm, and Mashhad. Some videos also show protesters chanting slogans in support of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is the exiled eldest son of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah.

At least 12 people, including members of the security forces, have been killed since, according to a toll based on official reports. The demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since a 2022-2023 movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a back-up plan to flee the country should his security forces fail to suppress protests, according to an intelligence report shared with The Times. Beni Sabti, who served for decades in Israeli intelligence after fleeing the regime eight years after the Islamic revolution, told The Times that Khamenei would flee to Moscow as “there is no other place for him”.