US President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Iran amidst the continuing protests, warning that the United States would act if the Iranian government decides to use violence against civilians. Speaking to reporters after a White House meeting with oil and gas executives, Trump said the US is watching very closely, describing the situation as unprecedented unrest in the country.
'Big trouble’ for Iranian leadership
“So, Iran's in big trouble,” said Trump, as protesters have begun to take over cities previously thought of as untouchable. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,” he said. The president noted that the unrest represents a critical moment for Tehran’s leadership.
US will act if civilians are targeted
The president emphasised that if there were violent attacks against civilians, the US would react strongly against the regime. “I've made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people as they have in the past, we will get involved,” Trump stated in an interview, adding further that they will be “hitting them very hard where it hurts.”
Trump also said that the need to avoid the killing of large numbers of people and prevent Iran from any repeat of the repression it unleashed in the past: "We're watching the situation very carefully,” Trump said. “It's an amazing thing to watch.” He also said that the immediate goal is not have mass casualties and to make sure they don’t make the same mistakes they’ve made before to crush protests. "We’re watching it very carefully. It’s an amazing thing to watch,” he added, acknowledging that protests have brought international attention.
Criticism of previous US approaches
Contrasting his administration’s stance with that of former President Barack Obama, Trump criticised what he called past US inaction during similar crises. There have been cases like this where President Obama totally backed down,” Trump said, adding, “But this is something pretty incredible that's happening in Iran.”
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Trump criticised Iran’s leadership, saying the country’s current unrest was the result of long-standing mismanagement and oppression. “They've done a bad job. They've treated their people very badly, and now they're being paid back”, he said.
While the US president is pressing Iran, his message has also been that the goal is a stable Iran without conflict. When questioned about the plan, Trump chose not to specify that in whatever action, the goal is to protect the innocent. The president also pointed out that leaders worldwide, as well as the president of Ukraine, have addressed the unrest in Iran.
“We're watching it very closely,” he concluded, underscoring the concern of the US to avoid harming civilians while observing Iran’s major unrest in recent years.
