'Reckless and provocative': Iran seeks UN action after Trump's 'locked and loaded' threats

Iran’s United Nations ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the UN Security Council, calling on them to condemn “unlawful threats” from US President Donald Trump as protests continue across the country.

As per reports by Al Jazeera, the letter, sent on Friday, followed Trump’s warning that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if any more protesters were killed in the demonstrations over soaring living costs in Iran.

Iravani described Trump’s statements as “reckless and provocative” and a “serious violation” of the UN Charter and international law. He said: “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 ambassador said Iran reaffirms its right to defend its sovereignty and will act decisively and proportionately, adding that the US is fully responsible for any consequences of its threats.

Protests continued across Iran on Friday, with gatherings reported in Qom, Marvdasht, Yasuj, Mashhad, Hamedan, and the Tehran neighbourhoods of Tehranpars and Khak Sefid, according to the IRNA state news agency. The unrest began after shopkeepers in Tehran went on strike on Sunday over rising prices and economic stagnation.

At least nine people have been killed and 44 arrested. The deputy governor of Qom province said another person died after a grenade exploded in his hand in what authorities described as an attempt to incite unrest.

Trump posted on Truth Social that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue”. In response, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said US interference “is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests”.

Iran’s economic woes, including a collapsing currency and high inflation, are compounded by years of severe drought in Tehran, a city of around 10 million people.

Despite the tensions, Iranian leaders have taken a more conciliatory approach. President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted the government was at fault and promised solutions, a shift from previous harsh responses to protests.

Earlier in June, the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day escalation with Israel. Last week, Trump warned the US would act if Iran advanced its nuclear or ballistic weapons programme. Pezeshkian has vowed a firm response to any aggression.