TEHRAN, January 2. /TASS/. The US interference in Iran’s internal affairs is tantamount to destabilizing the entire Middle East and will lead to the crushing of Washington’s interests in the region, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said in response to US President Donald Trump’s threats to support protesters in the country.

"We consider the positions of the protesting merchants separate from those of the destructive elements, and Trump should know that American interference in this internal issue is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests," the Iranian security official wrote on his account in the X social media platform.

Trump wrote earlier on January 2 on his Truth Social media platform that "If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."

Larijani said that this post made clear who was the instigator and tried to destabilize the situation in Iran.

"The American people should know that was Trump who started the adventurism. They should look after their soldiers," the Iranian security official said.

On December 29, protests by merchants started in the center of Tehran due to a plunge in the Iranian national currency. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed the interior minister to build a dialogue with the protesters and also announced reforms in the country’s banking and financial sectors.