Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington.

We begin with President Trump's new threats against Iran hinting at potential U.S. military action there as Tehran cracks down on widespread demonstrations

with the latest clashes turning deadly. Over the last few days, protests have erupted in dozens

of cities across Iran, sparked largely by the worsening state of the country's economy.

Inflation is soaring and Iran's currency has fallen to a record low against the U.S. dollar.

These appear to be the largest demonstrations in the country since 2022. That's when mass

protests erupted over the death of Masa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested

for not properly wearing her hijab. Human rights groups say at least seven people have died in the recent clashes.

And just this morning, President Trump weighed in on the arrest, writing in a post on social media,

quote, if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of

America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. The president did not

elaborate on those threats, but it does come just days after President Trump issued this

warning to Iran about its nuclear and ballistic missile programs following a meeting with

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And speaking of Iran, I hope they're not trying to build up again,

because if they are, we're going to have no choice, but very quickly to eradicate that buildup.

Iran may be behaving badly. It hasn't been confirmed, but if it's confirmed, look, they know

the consequences. You know, consequences will be very powerful, maybe more powerful than the last time.

Iranian officials are hitting back with a senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Komeni, alleging without any evidence, that the U.S. and Israel are stoking the protests posting on X, quote,

with the statements by Israeli officials and President Trump, what has been going on behind

the scenes is now clear. Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would

mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interests.

Joining me now, NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba and also with us, Iranian journalist,

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