Tehran 2 January 2026

2 January 2026

President Trump warned: “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”. In response, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, wrote: “With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear… Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests”. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi contended that Trump’s statement, “likely influenced by those who fear diplomacy or mistakenly believe it is unnecessary, is reckless and dangerous… our powerful armed forces are on standby and know exactly where to aim in the event of any infringement of Iranian sovereignty”.