News
Trump threatens to launch attack against Iran amid protests
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The United States President Donald J. Trump has issued a fresh threat against Iran, declaring that the U.S. is prepared to intervene militarily if Iranian authorities violently crack down on protesters.
Trump made the statement on Truth Social, warning Tehran against what he described as its “custom” of shooting and killing peaceful demonstrators.
“If Iran shots (sic) and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The post immediately sparked reactions online, with critics describing it as inflammatory and reckless, while supporters praised it as a tough stance against alleged human rights abuses in Iran.
Iran swiftly pushed back. A senior Iranian official and top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Larijani, warned that any U.S. interference in Iran’s domestic affairs would destabilise the entire Middle East.
“American people should know that Trump started the adventurism. They ought to watch over their soldiers,” Larijani said, noting Iran’s regional influence through allied groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
His comments came amid escalating tensions inside Iran, as a local official in western Iran, where several deaths have been reported, was quoted by state media as warning that any unrest or illegal gatherings would be met “decisively and without leniency,” raising fears of further bloodshed.
The warnings follow the largest wave of protests Iran has seen in three years. Demonstrations over soaring inflation and economic hardship have spread across the country, with deadly clashes between protesters and security forces concentrated in the western provinces of Lorestan and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari.
State-affiliated media and human rights groups say at least six people have been killed since Wednesday.
Among the dead is a man authorities identified as a member of the Basij paramilitary force, which is affiliated with Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards.
Iran has repeatedly faced major bouts of unrest in recent decades, often suppressing protests through mass arrests and heavy security deployments. However, analysts say deepening economic woes may have left the authorities more vulnerable this time.
The current demonstrations are the largest since nationwide protests erupted in late 2022 following the death of a young woman in police custody, unrest that paralysed the country for weeks and left hundreds dead, according to rights groups.
During the latest unrest, Iran’s President, Masoud Pezeshkian, struck a rare conciliatory tone, pledging dialogue with protest leaders over the cost-of-living crisis, even as rights groups accused security forces of firing on demonstrators.
Speaking on Thursday, before Trump’s threat, Pezeshkian acknowledged that government failures were largely responsible for the crisis.
“We are to blame… Do not look for America or anyone else to blame. We must serve properly so that people are satisfied with us,” he said. “It is us who have to find a solution to these problems.”
Pezeshkian’s administration is pursuing an economic liberalisation agenda, but one key policy, loosening currency exchange controls, has triggered a sharp fall in the value of Iran’s rial on the unofficial market.
The currency slide has worsened inflation, which has remained above 36 percent since March, even by official estimates, in an economy battered by Western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Additional pressure has come from Israeli and U.S. strikes last year, the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of Tehran, and Israel’s sustained bombardment of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Iran continues to back armed groups in Iraq that have previously targeted U.S. forces, as well as Yemen’s Houthi movement, which controls much of the country’s north.
The Hengaw human rights group reported that at least 29 protesters have been arrested in the latest wave of demonstrations, including 14 ethnic Kurds, seven Lors, seven women and two children.
In Lorestan Province, a senior judicial official warned that there would be “no tolerance for illegal actions that threaten public order and safety.” State media said security forces had arrested several “disruptive individuals” in the counties of Azna and Delfan.
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province has also witnessed unrest. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that three protesters were killed and 17 others injured during an attack on a police station in western Lorestan.
Both Fars and Hengaw reported additional fatalities in Lordegan, while authorities confirmed one death in Kuhdasht, Lorestan. Hengaw also reported another death in Iran’s central Isfahan Province.
No fewer than six inmates have died within one week following a suspected cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano State.
Amnesty International raised the alarm in a post on its official Facebook page, calling on authorities to immediately declare an emergency at the correctional facility.
Amnesty said several other inmates were currently receiving treatment, warning that the death toll could be higher as the suspected disease continues to spread among prisoners.
It urged the authorities to immediately transfer critically ill inmates to hospitals for proper medical attention to prevent further deaths.
The organisation warned that failure to urgently intervene could amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, which it described as a serious human rights violation under international law.
Amnesty also expressed concern over the broader conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities, particularly the prolonged detention of inmates awaiting trial.
According to the organisation, detainees without financial means face greater difficulty having their rights protected, with some spending years in custody without being convicted of any crime.
It further said many inmates were being held in overcrowded and unhygienic cells without adequate food and healthcare.
Amnesty called for urgent reforms to improve conditions in Nigerian correctional facilities and ensure compliance with international best practices.
Popular media personality and self-acclaimed relationship expert, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has reportedly lost her second son while remanded in custody.
The development was confirmed in an online appeal by Amira Agiye, head of the Isaamira Love Foundation, who spoke on Okoro’s behalf to request public financial assistance.
She said, “It is sad to announce to you all that Blessing CEO just lost her second son. My name is Amira Agiye.
“I’m here to appeal on behalf of Blessing CEO, who is currently in custody. I understand that people might have different opinions about her and the circumstances surrounding her case.
“And like every one of us, she deserves compassion and an opportunity for redemption.
She needs N20 million to meet the bail requirements. She also needs N36 million to pay the people she owes who brought the case against her.
“Please, Nigerians, let’s forgive her for the sake of that boy who is still in the mortuary. With Blessing’s full consent and authorisation, I’m appealing to all Nigerians to help donate so we can help her out of this situation.”
Also speaking in a voice conversation played by Amira, Blessing, CEO, said, “My second son, Bryan, was full of life. While in custody, I lost Bryan.
I pray this turns out positive so I can leave this place, pick up the pieces of my life and pay my respects to him.”
Recall that the self-acclaimed relationship expert was remanded in Kirikiri Prison over an N69.15 million property fraud trial.
She was granted N20 million bail in July 2026, with two sureties in like sum, and each surety was required to provide three years’ proof of deposits valued at N20 million.
Following her inability to meet the bail conditions, Blessing CEO, remains in prison facility two months after she was granted bail.
Deaconess Angel Oyakhilome, mother of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy LoveWorld Nation fame, is dead.
Reports from Edo State say that she died at the age of 88 yesterday, Friday, September 25, 2026.
A local publication, Esan News Magazine, reported thus:
“An Iroko has fallen. A mother of nations is gone. Heaven has gained a saint.
According to information made available to Esan News Magazine by a prominent member of the Ekagholo Family of Idunwele, Ewu, Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State, the matriarch of the great Oyakhilome Clan, the beloved mother of our son Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, Deaconess Angel Oyakhilome, fondly called Big Mummy, has transited to glory.
September, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of faith, love, humility and motherhood that touched generations across the world.
“Big Mummy was not just the mother of Pastor Chris. She was the mother of all. A virtuous woman, a prayer warrior, a woman of uncommon grace who raised children that have become global blessings and pride to Esan land.
“Idunwele Ewu is mourning. Ekagholo Family is mourning. Ewu Kingdom is mourning. Esanland is mourning. For we have lost an Okpokhuo, a true jewel of Esan motherhood.
“Her life was a testimony. She lived for God, she lived for family, she lived for humanity. Her laughter brought joy. Her prayers brought strength. Her counsel brought wisdom.
“On behalf of the management and staff of Esan News Magazine and the entire Esan Nation home and abroad, we extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to our dear elder brother, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the entire Oyakhilome Clan, the Ekagholo Family of Idunwele Ewu, and the Christ Embassy family worldwide.
“We mourn with you in this time of grief. We stand with you. We pray that the good Lord who called Mama home will grant you all the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.
“May her gentle, beautiful and faithful soul rest in perfect peace. Rest on, Big Mummy. Rest on, beloved mother of Pastor Chris. Rest on, Iroko of Ewu.
“Adieu Mama!”
Meanwhile, a senior official of Christ Embassy who was contacted by News Express this Saturday afternoon neither confirmed nor denied the report.
He said: “I have heard the news, too, but it is not for me to confirm her death. I mean, she was aged 88.”
The official promised to make relevant contacts, adding: “I am sure that a statement would be issued if the news is true.”
Six inmates die in one week amid suspected cholera outbreak in Kano prison
Painful: Blessing CEO Loses Son While Still In Kirikiri Prison
SAD: Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s mother is dead
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