U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed American support for demonstrators in Iran on Saturday, posting on X: “The United States supports the brave people of Iran.”
The statement was issued early Saturday morning as nationwide anti-government protests in Iran approached the two-week mark. The demonstrations, which began in early January, have spread to dozens of cities and provinces. They were initially triggered by economic hardships — including soaring inflation and rising living costs — before expanding to include broader calls for political reform.
The protests represent one of the most serious domestic challenges to Iran’s ruling authorities in recent years, occurring despite heavy security deployments and other restrictions.
Iranian authorities have responded with a severe crackdown. A near-total nationwide internet blackout has been in place since Thursday, severely limiting both domestic communication and the flow of information to the outside world.
On Saturday, Iran’s attorney general warned that anyone participating in the protests would be classified as an “enemy of God” — a charge that carries the death penalty under Iranian law — with the designation also applying to those who assist demonstrators.
Rights organizations have reported dozens of deaths and thousands of arrests since the protests began, though independent verification is severely hampered by the communications blackout.
The Iranian government’s position was further underscored by remarks from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday. In a series of posts on X, Khamenei described the demonstrations as involving “rioters” and “vandals” who damaged public buildings “in order to please the President of the US and make him happy.” He accused U.S. President Donald Trump of having “the blood of more than a thousand Iranians” on his hands from the 12-Day War and warned that the U.S. leader — whom he called arrogant — would suffer the same downfall as historical tyrants and past Iranian rulers.
“The US President who judges arrogantly about the whole world should know that tyrants & arrogant rulers of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] & other such rulers saw their downfall when they were at the peak of their hubris. He too will fall,” Khamenei wrote.
He added that the United States continues to miscalculate about Iran and that its schemes would ultimately fail, as they had in the past.
Rubio’s expression of support came amid heightened U.S. attention to the protests, including earlier statements from President Trump warning of strong consequences if Iranian security forces use lethal force against demonstrators. Iran’s military has since vowed to defend national interests and strategic sites in response to the unfolding situation.
