US President Donald Trump has issued a stark new warning to Iran as deadly protests continue to grip the country, escalating already heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. In an interview with News Nation, Trump warned that Iran faced catastrophic consequences if the unrest persisted.
“If anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump said, responding to what he described as growing instability inside the Islamic Republic. The remarks came days after he openly called for regime change in Iran.
Trump Responds to Iran’s ‘All-Out War’ Warning
Trump also addressed recent threats from Tehran, including warnings of an “all-out war” if the US intervenes. “I’ve left notification,” he said, adding, “If anything happens, we’re going to wipe them off the face of the earth.”
The comments reflect Trump’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Iran as protests intensify and international scrutiny grows over the government’s response. He has repeatedly criticised Iran’s leadership, accusing it of violent repression and misrule.
Iran Threatens Retaliation Over Supreme Leader
Iran responded swiftly on Tuesday, issuing a direct warning to Trump against any action targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to the Associated Press.
The warning followed Trump’s recent comments calling for regime change and his personal attack on Khamenei. In an interview with Politico, Trump described Iran’s supreme leader as “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”
Mounting Death Toll as Protests Continue
Trump’s remarks come amid continuing unrest in Iran, which erupted in late December over soaring inflation, a plunging rial and deepening economic hardship. Protesters have taken to the streets across multiple cities, demanding political reform and, in some cases, an end to the current regime.
The death toll from the protests has climbed to at least 4,519 people, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. More than 26,300 people have also been arrested, the group said.
Iranian authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the unrest, claiming foreign interference is behind the demonstrations. Washington has denied the allegation, as rhetoric between the two countries continues to harden against the backdrop of Iran’s deepening crisis.
