State Department warns Iran not to 'test US resolve' over protest crackdown

Senior Iranian official and ideologue Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi said on Friday that Iran should capture US President Donald Trump, just like what he did to Maduro, in response to Washington's stance on the protests in Iran.

“Given Trump's stance, any kind of operation inside US territory, in all its states and cities including destructive operations like those they carry out here, would be permissible… against American officials and those linked to them,” Azghadi said.

“Iran must do with Trump what they did to Maduro,” Azghadi, a member of Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, said. “Trump must pay the price during or even after his presidency and I personally hope Trump would be captured.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement on Friday, condemning the Iranian government's violence against protesters and expressing solidarity with the Iranian people.

"Canada strongly condemns the killing of protestors, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people. We stand in solidarity with the Iranian people, whose voice must be heard, as they demand freedom and dignity,” PM office posted on X.

Barry Rosen, former US hostage held in Iran during the 1979 revolution described the ongoing protests as a breaking point unlike any since, with Iranians showing resolve after being pushed past limits.

"I was held hostage in Iran for 444 days. Forty-six years later, I can say this with absolute clarity: what is happening in Iran right now is unlike anything I have seen since," Rosen posted on X on Friday.

"This is not a moment of unrest — it is a breaking point. The Iranian people are acting with the resolve of a nation that has been pushed past its limits,” he added.

“The regime is brutal, but the people’s determination is stronger than I have ever seen. Their fight is not symbolic — it is existential. And the outcome will define Iran’s future for generations,” Rosen said.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), co-chaired by Jeb Bush, issued a message of support for Iranians protesting the government, urging unity to reclaim their future.

“UANI CEO Mark Wallace and I stand with the great Iranian people. We support their brave efforts to take back their country, heritage, and future from their oppressive leaders,” Bush posted on X on Friday.

“The people of Iran will decide their own glorious future—no one else. We urge all Iranians to put aside their differences and unite in opposition to the Ayatollah. This is their time," he added.

US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell voiced support for Iranians fighting against government repression, saying its "evil gamble" of domestic repression and foreign aggression is collapsing.

"For decades, the Iranian regime's obsession with exporting terror, spilling American blood, and chasing nuclear weapons was contingent on its ability to repress the dreams and aspirations of the Iranian people,” Kentucky Senator posted on X on Friday.

“Repression at home, aggression abroad. That evil gamble appears to be collapsing, and not a moment too soon. My prayers are with the brave people of Iran as they fight for their future," McConnell said.