Trump warns Iran of retaliation amid deadly crackdown on protesters: 'We'll start shooting'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump delivered a blunt ultimatum to the Iranian regime on Friday, January 9, warning that the United States was prepared to respond with force if Tehran continued its deadly crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.

The warning came as human rights groups reported at least 51 deaths nationwide in what has become one of the most serious waves of unrest in the nation in decades.

Fresh protests broke out across multiple cities on late Friday, with crowds defying threats of harsh punishment to return to the streets.

What began two weeks ago as anger over a currency collapse and soaring inflation has escalated into a nationwide challenge to clerical rule, with chants increasingly calling for the regime’s removal.

Trump warns Iran of swift military response

Speaking during a meeting with oil executives that was open to reporters, Trump drew a direct line to Iran’s leadership.

“I tell the Iranian leaders - you better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting, too,” Trump warned.

The president stressed that he was not preparing to deploy ground forces but said any US response would involve “hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”

He added that he had made his position “very strongly” known to Tehran. “If they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” Trump said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared the message on social media on late Friday, writing, “The United States supports the brave people of Iran.”

Social media footage shows violence in Karaj and Fardis

On the ground, the unrest had intensified. The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights reported on Friday that at least 51 people, including eight children, had been killed across 11 provinces.

Videos circulating on social media showed widespread violence. Footage geolocated by NBC News from Karaj, west of Tehran, showed a municipal building engulfed in flames.

Another graphic video from nearby Fardis depicted bodies on a blood-streaked floor as a narrator shouted, “They shot with war bullets and killed the people!”

Clashes were also reported in the southeastern city of Zahedan, a reported center of dissent among the Baluch minority.

Local reports said that security forces opened fire on crowds after Friday prayers, recalling the deadly “Bloody Friday” incident in 2022.

Regime tightens blackout as protesters adapt

Amnesty International said Iranian authorities had deliberately restricted internet access in an effort to conceal the scale of the crackdown. The organization warned that the blackout was designed to “hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations.”

Despite the restrictions, protesters were finding ways to transmit footage. One video from Tehran’s Saadat Abad neighborhood appeared to be sent using Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s company.

Calls for restraint rejected by Tehran

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei signaled no intention to soften the response. In a speech on Friday, he vowed that the Islamic Republic would not retreat in the face of internal unrest or foreign pressure.

His remarks came hours after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement urging Tehran to “exercise restraint” and allow peaceful assembly “without fear of reprisal.”

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, head of Iran Human Rights, warned that conditions could worsen. “Right now, we are very concerned that after the internet shutdown the brutality will increase,” he said.