U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington was closely monitoring protests in Iran and warned the country’s leaders against using force against demonstrators, as anti-government unrest entered a 13th consecutive day on Friday.
Protests have spread to more than 100 cities, according to activists, posing the biggest challenge to Iran’s leadership in years.
“I tell the Iranian leaders, you better not start shooting,” Trump said during a meeting with oil executives at the White House, according to CNN. He added that any U.S. response would not involve ground troops.
“If they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” Trump said. “That doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
Trump described Iran as being “in big trouble” and said demonstrators appeared to be gaining ground in places previously thought unlikely to see unrest. He did not identify the cities, and it was not clear whether protesters had taken control of any urban areas.
The protests began in Tehran’s bazaars over soaring inflation and intensified last week after the prices of basic goods, including cooking oil and chicken, rose sharply, with some items disappearing from store shelves.
The unrest was triggered in part by a central bank decision to end a program that allowed some importers to buy U.S. dollars at a preferential rate, prompting shopkeepers to raise prices and, in some cases, close their businesses.
