ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Iran will “pay hell” if its security forces kill protesters as nationwide demonstrations against the country's woeful economy pick up steam.

Trump, in an interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show on Thursday, said the “riots” in Iran are so large that he cannot hold anyone responsible for the deaths, but “they [Tehran] know, and they’ve been told very strongly… that if they do that [kill protesters], they’re going to have to pay hell.”

Nationwide protests in Iran have entered their second week, beginning on December 27 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where business owners and shopkeepers launched strikes and protests over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar. 

The unrest later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state.

“You should feel strongly about freedom. There’s nothing like freedom. You’re brave people. It’s a shame what’s happened to your country,” Trump said in a message to the Iranian people

Iranian protesters in Tehran on Thursday night set fire to vehicles in the capital, coming as demonstrations against woeful economic conditions with a strong undercurrent of anti-government sentiment continue to spread across the country pic.twitter.com/xw7eTG4Ep7

— The New Region (@thenewregion) January 8, 2026

So far, the protests have left at least 37 people dead and more than 1,000 arrested, according to data obtained by The New Region from the Oslo-based Hengaw human rights watchdog.

In late December, Trump, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that Washington would “absolutely” and “immediately” support potential renewed Israeli military actions targeting Iran if Tehran continues developing its nuclear and missile programs.

Trump later asserted that should Iran begin killing protesters, a practice he dubbed their "custom," US forces were prepared to intervene to "rescue" demonstrators. 

When asked whether Trump would meet Reza Pahlavi, the former Crown Prince of Iran who is the heir to the constitutional monarchy that was deposed with the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he responded, “I’m not sure that it would be appropriate.”

“Well I’ve watched him… but I’m not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as President, I think that we should let everybody go out there and we should see who emerges,” Trump said.

Pahlavi is purportedly set to visit Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida next Tuesday to address the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast.

“I've trained all my life to serve my nation. I am more than ever ready to step into Iran. I will be there with my compatriots to lead the ultimate battle,” Pahlavi said on X on Wednesday.

As of Thursday, Iran is amid a nationwide internet blackout, according to internet monitor Netblocks.

“If the regime commits such a mistake and cuts the internet, that itself will be another call to continue your presence and to take over the streets. In this way, you will drive yet another nail into the coffin of this regime,” Pahlavi said Wednesday.

“Know that our communication will not be severed. Whether through the hundreds of thousands of Starlink devices in Iran, or through the Iran International and Manoto television networks," he said, referencing outlets affiliated with his movement.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the demands of protesters in the country are "completely fair," though warning that rioters must "be put in their place."

Iran’s judiciary previously warned demonstrators and ordered legal action against those accused of disrupting public security, warning that they could face charges often punishable by death under the Islamic Republic’s legal system. 

Charges include “corruption on Earth” (efsad-e fel-arz), “enmity against God” (moharebeh), and “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi).