ISTANBUL

Iran criticized a threat by US President Donald Trump to intervene in the ongoing protests in the country that have claimed at least five lives, stressing its response to any attack against it would be “swift, decisive and comprehensive.”

In a statement on Friday, the Foreign Ministry described the US threats “as being in line with the Zionist regime (Israel) policy of escalating tensions in the region.”

The statement added that Trump’s recent remarks are “not only a gross violation of the fundamental principles and rules of the United Nations Charter and international law in respecting the national sovereignty of countries, but also constitutes incitement to violence and terrorism against Iranian citizens.”

It warned that any attack targeting Iran “would increase the likelihood of entrenching chaos and instability in the region,” and “The United States will be responsible for all these consequences.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on US social media company X that those affected by recent exchange-rate volatility in Iran “have been peacefully protesting, as is their right.”

“Separate from that, we have witnessed isolated incidents of violent riots — including attacks on a police station and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers,” Araghchi said.

He said that given Trump’s deployment of the National Guard inside the US, “he of all people should know that criminal attacks on public property cannot be tolerated.”

“This is why President Trump’s message today, likely influenced by those who fear diplomacy or mistakenly believe it is unnecessary, is reckless and dangerous,” Araghchi said.

He stressed that “as in the past, the great people of Iran will forcefully reject any interference in their internal affairs,” warning that Iran’s armed forces “are on standby and know exactly where to aim in the event of any infringement of Iranian sovereignty.”

Traders in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar launched protests late December over the sharp depreciation of the local currency, the Iranian rial, against foreign currencies and mounting economic hardships, which later spread to several other cities nationwide.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged the growing public discontent, saying the government bears responsibility for the current economic problems.