DONALD Trump says he will hit Iran “very hard” if people are killed amid widespread protests against its tyrannical regime.
The country has plunged deeper into chaos as furious protesters ramped up their revolt against hardline rulers on Thursday, with shocking footage showing a government ablaze in Tehran.
Crowds have poured onto the streets despite a brutal crackdown, as the regime slashed internet access while protestors chanted for the ousted monarchy.
Trump told that conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt: “I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots – they have lots of riots – we are going to hit them very hard.
“We’re watching it very closely. They have been told very strongly that if they do that they are going to have to pay hell.”
The president went on to tell Iranians that they “should feel very strongly about freedom”.
Protestors have appeared to be appealing directly to Trump amid the tug-of-war with their leadership.
Footage from Wednesday’s protest showed a demonstrator renaming a street after the president, while other videos showed handwritten appeals reading “Don’t let them kill us”.
The uprising began after traders shut down Tehran’s famous bazaar on December 28 when Iran’s battered rial currency crashed to record lows.
Since then the unrest has exploded nationwide, with ever-larger demonstrations erupting, including in the capital.
Demonstrators have been chanting anti-government slogans, including “Pahlavi will return” and “Seyyed Ali will be toppled”, in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic revolution and a key exiled opposition figure, urged more major protests on Thursday.
Verified videos show a protestor raising the Lion and Sun flag, the official symbol of the country before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The protests are rattling Khamenei, whose regime is already reeling from years of sanctions, a deepening economic crisis and the aftermath of June’s war with Israel.
Trump’s comments on the violent crackdowns came as human rights groups accused Iranian security forces of opening fire on demonstrators.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on Thursday that at least 45 protesters have been killed since the unrest began, including eight minors.
The group said Wednesday was the deadliest day so far, with 13 confirmed deaths.
IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “The evidence shows that the scope of the crackdown is becoming more violent and more extensive every day.”
He added that hundreds more had been wounded and more than 2,000 people arrested.
Iranian state media paints a different picture, with official statements reporting at least 21 deaths, including members of the security forces, according to an AFP tally.
On Wednesday, an Iranian police officer was killed west of Tehran while trying “to control unrest”, the Fars news agency reported.
Despite the bloodshed, protests raged on into Thursday night.
Huge crowds gathered along the vast Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in northwest Tehran, according to social media footage.
Other images showed demonstrators flooding the streets in the western city of Abadan.
As unrest spread from city to city, internet watchdog Netblocks said Thursday that “live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout”.
