Iran adviser says any US intervention to be met with "regret-inducing" response

Ali Shamkhani, a political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned the United States against any intervention near Iran’s security, saying such actions would be met with a forceful response. 

In a post on X, Shamkhani said Iranians were well aware of what he described as the United States’ past “rescue” record in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza, Caliber.Az reports.  

He added that any intervention “on pretexts” would have its “hand cut off with a regret-inducing response,” stressing that Iran’s national security was a “red line” and “not material for adventurist tweets.”

Iranians know US “rescue” record well, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Gaza. Any intervening hand-nearing #Iran_Security on pretexts will be cut off with a#Regret_Inducing_Response. Iran’s national security is a #Red_Line, notmaterial for adventurist tweets.

— علی شمخانی (@alishamkhani_ir) January 2, 2026

Shamkhani’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States was prepared to assist Iranian demonstrators if authorities used lethal force against protesters. 

Trump wrote that if Iran “shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters,” the US would “come to their rescue,” adding that the country was “locked and loaded and ready to go.”

The exchange comes amid a new wave of demonstrations in Iran that began in late December 2025. Protests erupted after the national currency fell to record lows and inflation surged, leading shopkeepers and traders in cities including Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz to close businesses and take to the streets to protest worsening economic conditions and rising living costs.

By Sabina Mammadli