Trump says U.S. will intervene if Iran violently suppresses peaceful protests

"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 U.S. reimposed sanctions in 2018, after Trump withdrew from an international nuclear agreement during his first term.