By Jack Phillips

The U.S. State Department on Monday evening sent a warning to any Americans who are still remaining in Iran to leave the country immediately due to protests and increased regime security measures.

The statement called on American citizens to “leave Iran now” and that they will also need to “have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on U.S. government help.”

“U.S. citizens should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or Türkiye,” the U.S. Virtual Embassy for Iran wrote in a statement.

For people who can’t leave, they’re advised to “find a secure location within your residence or another safe building,” the embassy said. “Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items. Avoid demonstrations, keep a low profile, and stay aware of your surroundings. Monitor local media for breaking news. Be prepared to adjust your plans.”

It noted that several Turkey–Iran border crossings and an Iran–Armenia land border crossing area are still open. Land crossings to Turkmenistan need special authorization by the Turkmen government, it said.

The death toll has increased to nearly 2,000 in the nation’s ongoing anti-government demonstrations, according to an activist group. The number of dead, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), dwarfs that in any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 revolution that installed the current regime.

The Epoch Times could not immediately verify the figures provided by HRANA.

An internet blockade that went into effect earlier this month makes it difficult to obtain information from inside Iran. Multiple state-run media websites have been down this week.

These demonstrations, which began in anger over Iran’s ailing economy, soon turned against the regime, particularly 86-year-old leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei, in a statement carried by state TV, praised the tens of thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations nationwide on Monday.

“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”

In response, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that the Iranian regime’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

She also warned that the U.S. military could launch airstrikes to support protesters in the country, if necessary. Over the summer, the United States and Israel struck Iranian nuclear facilities as part of a 12-day aerial war that also included missile barrages being fired by Tehran against U.S. and Israeli assets.

Also on Monday, President Donald Trump announced he would be imposing a 25 percent tariff on countries that do business with Iran, “effective immediately.” Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that conduct trade with Tehran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.