The remarks followed media accounts that U.S. President Donald Trump had been presented with military options for a possible strike on Iran, though no final decision had been made. Trump has warned Tehran that Washington would intervene if protesters were killed in the ongoing demonstrations across Iran.
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump posted on Truth Social late Saturday, adding that the U.S. “stands ready to help.”
Qalibaf also praised Iran’s security forces for their response to recent protests, applauding police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, particularly its volunteer Basij militia, for having “stood firm.”
“The people of Iran should know that we will deal with them in the most severe way and punish those who are arrested,” Qalibaf said, referring to demonstrators.
Protests in Iran erupted in the final week of 2025, driven by public anger over the country’s dire economic situation. They have morphed into open opposition to the country’s clerical leadership.
With the internet restricted in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But activists claim violence surrounding the demonstrations has killed at least 116 people, the Associated Press reported.
Some 2,600 people have been detained, according to the latest reports from U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.