U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran’s government on Friday that Washington was “locked and loaded” and ready to intervene if the authorities kill protesters in nationwide demonstrations against the clerical regime’s economic mismanagement.

Trump’s threat of U.S. intervention comes six months after American forces attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, and the president began the week by saying he would back an Israeli attack on Iran if the country rebuilt its atomic capabilities.

“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.

Ali Shamkhani, political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned Trump to back off.

“The people of Iran are well acquainted with the experience of Americans coming to the rescue, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza. Any hand of intervention that approaches Iranian security with pretexts will be severed by a regret-inducing response. Iran’s national security is a red line, not fodder for adventurist tweets,” Shamkhani wrote on X.

Protests have been taking place in several Iranian cities since December 28, driven by people angered by soaring living costs and opposition to the country’s clerical regime. Local media reported six or seven deaths.