Protests over the plummeting exchange rate of Iranian Rial against the American dollar and the country’s economic conditions have arisen in 17 of 31 provinces, leading to the deaths of at least 36 people and the arrests of more than 2000.

In response, American President Donald Trump issued a warning on January second to the Iranian government about the safety of protesters, “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! President DONALD J.TRUMP.”

Shortly after, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN penned a letter to the UN Secretary-General as well as President of the UN Security Council requesting condemnation over President Trump’s statement, furthering that his statements are an attempt to violate Iran’s sovereignty and a violation of the UN charter and international law.  “Any attempt to incite, encourage or legitimize 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,” said the ambassador.

The Iranian government has repeatedly called for diplomacy and negotiations over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities, but the incompatibility of the US stance, in which Iran can not possess any ability to enrich uranium.  But Iran has held firm to the agreement before the conflict in June of 2025, where the United States conceded to allowing Iran to enrich uranium.  “We will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry, and certainly we will not allow it renew the nuclear programme that we significantly damaged,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.