Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on Friday, warned that if the United States interferes in Iran’s internal affairs, it will destabilise the entire Middle East and harm American interests.

The statement was issued in response to recent statements by US President Donald Trump, who commented on the internal situation in Iran.

US President Donald Trump earlier said that if Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States of America will come to their rescue.

“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he said in a Truth Social post.

This follows the deaths of several people as Iran’s biggest protests in three years over economic hardship turned violent across multiple provinces.

The clashes between protesters and security forces mark a significant escalation in the unrest that has spread across the country since shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday over the government’s handling of a sharp currency slide and rapidly rising prices.

Iran’s economy has struggled for years since the US reimposed sanctions in 2018, after Trump withdrew from an international nuclear agreement during his first term.