President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would intervene to “rescue” Iranian anti-government protesters if the Iranian government attempts to kill them, amid a renewed wave of public demonstrations in Iran.

“If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump said on Truth Social. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Nationwide protests have racked Iran for days, largely caused by an ongoing economic crisis and broader discontent with the regime.

Trump publicly floated the idea of pursuing regime change and targeting the leadership of the Islamic Republic last summer during the Israel-Iran war, but later backed off of the idea.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, responded to Trump on X, suggesting that the U.S. and Israel are interfering in Iranian internal affairs and threatening U.S. soldiers.

“With the statements by Israeli officials and @realDonaldTrump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests,” Larijani said. “The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) praised Trump’s efforts and said, “A weakened Iran — a nation run by religious nazis — is due to President Trump’s efforts to isolate Iran economically and to use military force wisely. It is time to Make Iran Great Again.”

“Under President Trump’s leadership and in collaboration with our allies, I can see the demise of Hamas and Hezbollah in 2026, paving the way for normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. This would be the biggest change in the Middle East in thousands of years,” Graham continued.

Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel and a senior Defense Department official in the Biden administration, advised Democrats to express support for the Iranian protesters.

“This should be a bipartisan issue,” Shapiro said. “Press Trump to do more than issue threats: support protesters with internet access and prepare now to advise/assist in a transition.”

He also said that Trump’s threat “could be a tipping point moment” if it causes the Iranian regime to refrain from crackdowns, but also “imposes an obligation on the U.S. to follow through if needed, with both the risk of deeper U.S. military involvement, and the moral hazard of failing to back up the threat.”

Shapiro urged the administration to prepare “now for the transition that may unfold. The U.S. must be prepared to provide humanitarian assistance, expertise in institution building and reconstruction, carefully implemented sanctions relief, and coordination among regional partners to assist Iranians in steering toward a transition to a peaceful, stable (and hopefully democratic) outcome.”