President Trump Vows US Intervention If Iran Kills Peaceful Demonstrators: ‘Locked and Loaded’

President Trump on Friday issued a stark warning to the Iranian regime, vowing U.S. intervention if leaders in the rogue country use lethal force against peaceful protesters. This comes as widespread demonstrations erupt across Iran over economic hardships.

Trump posted his warning to Truth Social.

 "If Iran (shoots) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," the President cautioned. "We are locked and loaded and ready to go."

His message marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as protests have already turned deadly. Reports have indicated that at least one protester has been killed. Other as of yet unverified reports indicate more deaths.

The unrest began late last week when shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar went on strike in response to the Iranian rial's (their official currency) plunge to a record low against the U.S. dollar. Inflation has surged, devastating ordinary Iranians already battered by years of regime mismanagement.

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Watch: Protests in Iran Are Spreading, As More Bravely Stand Up to the Regime

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Earlier in the week, President Trump did not indicate whether or not he supported regime change in Iran, but did issue a warning that the protests may get worse.

"They've got a lot of problems: tremendous inflation, their economy is bust, their economy is no good, and I know people aren't so happy," he told reporters.

RedState reporter Nick Arama revealed that the protests in Iran are spreading fast as more and more demonstrators stand up to the brutal regime. But it seems like we've seen this play out before. Will these protests mark something that fundamentally alters that nation?

"There have been numerous protests over the years in Iran," Arama writes, "but there are indications in this one that are giving many great hope, as we enter a new year."

Trump's stern warning also comes after RedState reporter Ward Clark predicted that "something big" is happening in Iran as we enter a new year.

"It looks like it's about to get very interesting," Clark envisions. "Tehran is dying of thirst, due to drought and also due to the incompetence of the ruling mullahs and their predilection for funding terrorists rather than handling actual distributed interests of the Iranian people, like basic infrastructure."

"It's looking a lot like the Iranian people have finally had enough, and in the end, it has to be the Iranian people who toss those Bronze Age barbarians out," he added. "I think this may well be the year they do it."

Trump's warning builds on his administration's tough stance against Iran, including devastating U.S. airstrikes in June on their nuclear facilities. They are quite aware that when the Commander-in-Chief issues a warning, he is certainly willing to follow through. 

With the regime weakened by economic crisis, lost allies like the Assad government in Syria, and internal dissent, some analysts believe these protests pose the most serious threat to the Islamic Republic in years.