Iran’s army pledges to defend national interests after US backs protesters

Earlier on Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s support for the people of Iran after the Iranian authorities cut off internet access as they sought to curb the protests.

“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” Rubio wrote on X.

The post came hours after Trump issued a new warning to Iran’s leaders, saying, “You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.”

Trump said it looked like Iran’s leaders were “in big trouble” and repeated an earlier threat of military attacks if peaceful protesters were killed. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,” he said.