Activists say 10 killed in Iran as Trump vows to protect protesters
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At least 10 people have been killed in protests in Iran against the country's authoritarian rule, the human rights organization Hengaw said on Friday, as the demonstrations entered their sixth day.
The Norway-based group, which maintains a network of contacts in Iran, said it had verified the identities of 10 people and is aware of 80 other people who have been arrested.
The current protests in Iran were triggered by a sudden collapse in the value of the local currency last Sunday. At first, traders in the capital Tehran took to the streets, but protests have since spread to other parts of the country and other sections of the population.
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There were serious riots in the west of the country on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses have reported a massive deployment of security forces, who they said moved into the cities and took up positions at important transport hubs.
However, it was mainly in rural areas that dramatic scenes and street battles between demonstrators and security forces have taken place.
Trump vows to defend protesters against violence
US President Donald Trump has pledged his support to those taking part in the protests, saying the US would protect them against any violence.
"If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he wrote, leaving open what specifically he intends to do.
The US and Iran have been arch-enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and have no formal diplomatic relations.
In June, the US military joined Israel's war against Iran and bombed key nuclear facilities there. The US and Israel accuse Iran of wanting to build a nuclear bomb, a charge that Tehran denies.
Iran warns against interference
Ali Larijani, secretary general of Iran's powerful Security Council, responded to Trump by writing on X: "Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interests."
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"The American people should know - Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers' safety," he warned in a post in English.
"We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors," he said.
Observers say it is unclear how the protests will develop.
"Regardless of their political orientation, none of the opposition factions has yet succeeded in establishing powerful organizations or lasting networks that could steer the protests," writes historian Arash Azizi in a guest article for the US magazine The Atlantic. "Without such an orientation, the current protests are likely to lose momentum and fizzle out."
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Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at the Israeli research institute INSS, said Trump's statement presents a dilemma for the administrations's policy towards Iran.
"Support to the protesters - danger of deteriorating into a war. No-support - a hard blow to anyone who is thinking now or in the future of going out to demonstrate in Iran," he wrote on X.
Iranian actress expresses solidarity with protesters
The Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani expressed her solidarity with the protests, writing on Instagram on Friday: "My heart beats with the people of Iran."
"The people are exhausted by injustice, corruption, and an economy that crushes them, while oligarchs grow richer and foreign powers exploit the crisis," she wrote.
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Farahani, who recently starred in the US television series "Invasion," has been living in exile since 2008.
Disgruntled voices from Tehran
The current unrest is "like a fire smouldering under the ashes," says an Iranian professor who wishes to remain anonymous. "It was only a matter of time before it broke out."
In Tehran, the political and economic centre of the country, many residents have been worried about their future for several years.
"I saw the protests up close myself. Many were people from Generation Z – young people who have neither hope nor motivation," says Mortesa, 37, a fitness trainer. "The country actually has enough income, but it doesn't reach the people."
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Mila, 36, a teacher, also feels the hopelessness. "Like my friends and colleagues, my situation is bad. Everyday life is hard to bear, leisure time and travel are hardly possible," she says. "People must retain the right to protest," she demands.
Even wealthy traders are now complaining. Mohammad-Javad, 43, who runs a jewellery shop in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, closed his shop last Sunday. "We simply don't know what prices to set anymore."
With the fluctuations on the foreign exchange market, he has to make corrections every hour. "How are we supposed to explain this to customers? Things can't go on like this. It's as simple as that."
Berlin calls on Tehran to respect right to demonstrate
The German government has also called on Iran's leadership to respect freedom of assembly, noting that the country is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of demonstration.
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In response to a query from dpa, a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said the government was monitoring the protests very closely.
"We take reports of excessive use of force against demonstrators very seriously," he added.