President Donald Trump and a top Iranian security official shared dueling public threats on Friday (January 2) amid the deaths of seven people during protests in Iran further escalated tensions between the two countries.

Trump shared a post on his Truth Social account warning that if Iran "violently kills peaceful protesters" the United States "will come to their rescue."

“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added, though not elaborating.

Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who currently serves as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, shared a post on X claiming that the U.S. and Israel were stoking the demonstrations, though not providing any evidence backing his claim, which Iranian officials had made repeatedly during years of protests within the country.

“Trump should know that intervention by the U.S. in the domestic problem corresponds (to) chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the U.S. interests,” Larijani wrote on X, which the Iranian government blocks. “The people of the U.S. should know that Trump began the adventurism. They should take care of their own soldiers.”

Larijani's remarks are believed to reference the United States military's wide footprint in the Middle East, having launched strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran in June, which led to a retaliation attack by Iran on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also issued a quick response to Trump's public warning against reconstituting its nuclear program earlier this week.

"The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any oppressive aggression will be harsh and regrettable," Pezeshkian wrote in a post translated from Persian on his X account Tuesday (December 30).

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, also claimed that Iran's response would go "beyond what the attacker expects" in a quote shared by the state-run Nour News agency via NBC News. Trump warned Iran against reconstituting its nuclear program while addressing reporters during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Monday (December 29).

Trump's warning came after he publicly insisted that Iran's nuclear capabilities were “completely and fully obliterated” following U.S. strikes on key nuclear sites in June, despite Israeli officials expressing concerns publicly about Iran potentially rebuilding its supply of long-range missiles.

“Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again,” Trump told reporters shortly after Netanyahu arrived his estate on Monday via the Associated Press. “And if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

The Trump administration has committed resources to targeting drug trafficking in South America following the brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The Gaza deal is, however, threatened to be stalled prior to reaching its second phase, which calls for an international governing body being named and the rebuilding of the Palestinian territory.

Iran has publicly claimed that it's no longer enriching uranium, but Netanyahu was expected to discuss potential new military action against Theran during his Mar-a-Lago visit, which takes place months after launching a 12-day war with Iran.

South Carolina’s Morning News