AT least 12 people have died after security forces in Iran opened fire on demonstrators as strikes over soaring inflation continue in the Islamic Republic.
It comes after protests began with a shopkeepers strike in Tehran on December 28.
The violent scenes follow a firm warning from Donald Trump that the US is “locked and loaded,” ready to intervene if unrest continues.
Footage recorded on the streets of the capital show armed security forces clashing with protestors.
Gunshots can heard as demonstrators run for their lives through the streets of downtown Tehran.
The shopkeepers took aim at a plummeting currency and soaring prices.
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Annual inflation hit 42.2 per cent in December, with food prices jumping 72 per cent.
One woman told The Times she had to cut back on even the most basic necessities including hygiene products and clothing.
“Over the past five or six days, the situation has been anything but stable, and the upward trend in prices continues,” she said.
“Anything you buy today is encountered at a completely different price the next day.
“This level of fluctuation and instability has reached the point where it practically removes any ability to plan.”
Overnight, protests featuring slogans criticising the regime’s authoritarian rule were reported across the country in more than 20 cities.
Crowds chanted slogans targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Chants included: “Death to the dictator,” and “death to the oppressor.”
Protestors reportedly targeted government offices, set police vehicles on fire, and tore down the Iranian flag from official buildings.
These demonstrations are the most significant in Iran since the movement in response to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Amini was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.
It has been reported that large numbers of women and students have also joined the protests.
Many young women in Iran have been left feeling marginalised “without hope for the future”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned Tehran: “If Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protestors, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
The White House has not confirmed what action Washington might take, leaving the threat open to interpretation.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, warned that all US military personnel and bases in the region would be considered “legitimate targets” if Trump acted on his threat.
While top Iranian official Ali Larijani warned that US interference would lead to the entire destabilisation of the Middle East.
Iran has since formally complained to the United Nations over Donald Trump’s threats to back protesters, warning it will respond with force if the US attacks.
The tensions come just seven months after US bombers struck Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump warned again on Monday that any attempt by Iran to rebuild its missile programme would be met with force.
The President said: “I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them.”
