Iran has formally appealed to the United Nations to condemn what it described as “unlawful threats” from United States President Donald Trump, as protests over economic hardship continued to spread across the country.
In a letter sent on Friday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council (UNSC), Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, accused Trump of making “reckless and provocative statements” that violate international law and the UN Charter. The letter was written hours after Trump warned that the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iranian authorities killed more protesters during the ongoing demonstrations.
Iravani urged the UN leadership and Security Council members to “unequivocally and firmly condemn” the remarks, arguing that any attempt to encourage or legitimize unrest inside Iran amounts to interference in the country’s internal affairs. “Any attempt to incite, encourage or legitimise internal unrest as a pretext for external pressure or military intervention is a gross violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the letter said.
The ambassador warned that Tehran would not remain passive in the face of what it sees as external threats. Iran’s government, he wrote, “reiterates its inherent right to defend its sovereignty” and will exercise that right “in a decisive and proportionate manner.” Iravani added that Washington would “bear full responsibility for any consequences arising from these illegal threats and any subsequent escalation of tensions.”
The letter was published in full by Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, which also reported that protests continued on Friday in several cities, including Qom, Marvdasht, Yasuj, Mashhad and Hamedan, as well as in Tehran neighbourhoods such as Tehranpars and Khak Sefid. Demonstrations were sparked after shopkeepers in the capital went on strike earlier in the week, protesting soaring prices, economic stagnation and a sharp decline in purchasing power.
Iranian authorities say at least nine people have been killed and 44 arrested since the unrest began. On Friday, the deputy governor of Qom province said another person had died after a grenade exploded in his hand. The official claimed the incident was linked to efforts to incite further unrest, though details remain unclear.
Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform, warned Tehran that Washington would intervene if security forces cracked down violently on demonstrators. “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” he said, language that prompted swift condemnation from Iranian officials.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded by warning that US interference would have far-reaching consequences. Such actions, he said, would be “equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests.”
The protests come against a backdrop of deepening economic distress. Iran has been grappling with a collapsing currency, persistently high inflation and the long-term impact of drought, particularly in Tehran, a city of around 10 million people. These pressures have compounded public frustration and intensified scrutiny of government economic management.
Notably, Iran’s leadership has adopted a more conciliatory tone than during previous waves of unrest. President Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged that the government is “at fault” for the current situation and has promised to pursue solutions, a stance that analysts say contrasts sharply with the harsher responses to earlier protests.
The latest tensions unfold amid a volatile regional and international context. In June, the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day escalation between Israel and Iran, an operation Trump later described as “very successful.” Last week, standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump warned that the US would “knock the hell out” of Iran if it advanced its nuclear or ballistic missile programmes, remarks that coincided with Israeli calls to resume attacks on Iran.
Pezeshkian has vowed a “severe” response to any aggression, underscoring the risk that domestic unrest and external pressure could further inflame already fragile regional dynamics.
