US President Donald Trump issued a sharply worded warning to Iran on Friday, stating in a post on his Truth Social platform that the United States “will intervene with force” if Tehran opens fire on demonstrators and kills them.
Officials told CNN that no major changes have so far been recorded in US troop levels in the region, and that no direct action has been taken on the ground.
A White House official said: “At this stage, it was a strong warning, and no action has been taken to my knowledge.” Trump wrote in his post: “If Iran fires on peaceful protesters and brutally kills them, as it is accustomed to doing, the United States of America will intervene to save them. We are prepared and ready to act.”
The network reported that the post, considered the first official statement by the US administration regarding the bloody protests that erupted this week in several Iranian provinces, triggered immediate angry reactions from Iranian officials, who warned that US forces in the region could be targeted if Washington intervenes.
Although the statement appeared to hint at military action, a US official said no major changes have been made to troop levels, and no military preparations have been undertaken in the Middle East.
US Central Command, known as United States Central Command, declined to comment, while CNN contacted the White House seeking an official response.
The network added that the United States has a range of options to support Iranian demonstrators, according to informed officials, although many of these do not rise to the level of full military intervention. Among these options are measures previously taken by the administration of former President Joe Biden during the 2022 protests, such as enhancing satellite internet connectivity to obstruct regime efforts to cut off access to information.
These options also include imposing new sanctions on leaders within the Iranian system or on sectors of the economy. According to the network, the United States could, if Trump issues orders, carry out more covert measures, including cyber operations to disrupt regime activities.
Trump’s post sparked mixed reactions within Congress. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump ally who has become one of his critics and is set to retire from Congress this month, said Trump “is threatening war and sending forces to Iran, and that is what we voted against in 2024.”
By contrast, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, known for his hawkish foreign policy positions and support for Trump, said that “President Trump is on the right path to surpass the great President Ronald Reagan in making peace and confronting evil.”
Graham added in a post on the X platform: “Iran’s weakness, a country ruled by religious figures, is due to President Trump’s efforts to isolate Iran economically and to use military force wisely. It is time to make Iran great again.”
Trump’s threat comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, following his meeting earlier this week in Florida with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the network, the two sides discussed during the meeting the possibility of renewed military operations against Tehran, months after the end of a 12 day war between Israel and Iran, which concluded with US strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump had pledged on Monday to “destroy” Iran if it attempted to rebuild its nuclear program, saying: “If that is confirmed, they know the consequences, and the consequences will be very severe, perhaps more than the previous time.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that any “brutal aggression” against his country would be met with a “harsh and deterrent” response.
According to CNN, Trump appeared to have been following the unrest in Iran for some time. He addressed the issue in remarks to journalists on Monday, saying: “They have a lot of problems, massive inflation, their economy has collapsed, the economy is in bad shape, and I know people are unhappy. But do not forget, every time there are riots or a group forms, whether small or large, they start shooting people.”
Trump added: “As you know, they kill people, and I have noticed this for years. There is a lot of resentment. One hundred thousand or two hundred thousand people gather, and suddenly they start shooting at them, and that group disperses very quickly. I have watched this for years. They are very bad people.”
