US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to the Iranian government. He stated that if the government resumes killing people during the ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, the US will respond with a “very strong and forceful” response.
“I’ve told them that if they start killing people, as they do during their riots – they have a lot of riots – if they do that, we’re going to come down on them very hard,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday.
Trump’s statement comes at a time when Iran is witnessing widespread protests against the economic crisis, inflation, unemployment, and government policies. In many cities, people are taking to the streets, chanting slogans against the government. Iranian security forces have previously been accused of excessive force and civilian deaths during such protests.
The US President also indicated that the United States is closely monitoring Iran’s activities and will not stand idly by if the situation escalates. Trump’s statement clearly indicates that Washington is prepared to take a more stringent stance on human rights violations in Iran.
Although Trump did not specify what the “very severe strike” would entail, his words certainly indicated that the US could take political, economic or military action if violence escalates in Iran.
This warning comes at a time when relations between the US and Iran are already extremely tense and the ongoing protests in Iran have increased international concern.