Donald Trump issued a new threat to the Iranian government Saturday, saying the U.S. would help Iranians "looking at freedom.”
The U.S. president's statement comes as protests continued to spread across the country for a second week.
"Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. "The USA stands ready to help!!!”
Iran has witnessed waves of protests since late December, largely due to a steep decline in the value of the Iranian rial and deteriorating economic conditions.
The latest demonstrations started on Dec. 28 near Tehran's Grand Bazaar and spread to several cities.
The State Department separately warned: "Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he'll do something, he means it."
Saturday marks the start of the work week in Iran, but many schools and universities reportedly held online classes, Iranian state TV reported. Internal Iranian government websites are believed to be functioning.
Earlier Friday, Trump said Iran was "in big trouble” as unrest grew, adding that Washington was closely monitoring developments and warning authorities against using lethal force against protesters.
Iran has accused the U.S. and Israel of fomenting the unrest, with officials warning that security forces and the judiciary "will show no tolerance whatsoever toward saboteurs."
