Donald Trump Encourages Iranian Protests, Promises Support on the Horizon

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US President Donald Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting and said help was on the way, without giving details, as Iran’s clerical establishment pressed its crackdown against the biggest demonstrations in years.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!… HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the “senseless killing” of protesters stopped.

Trump later declined to clarify his “help is on its way” comment, telling reporters that they would have to figure it out.

“You’re going to have to figure that one out. I’m sorry,” Trump said. Trump travelled to Detroit to give a speech on the economy.

The simmering discontent fueled by Iran’s stark economic woes has erupted into a formidable challenge against the country’s leadership, marking the most significant internal turmoil in over three years. This upheaval arrives amid a backdrop of intensified global scrutiny, following military actions by Israel and the United States in the preceding year.

Following the US president’s post, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said on social media platform X that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were the “main killers” of the Iranian people.

An Iranian official said about 2,000 people had been killed in the protests, the first time authorities have given an overall death toll from more than two weeks of nationwide unrest, though the official gave no breakdown.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), the death toll has reached 2,003 individuals, with 1,850 of those being protesters. The organization has also noted a dramatic rise in detentions, tallying up to 16,784 individuals—an alarming increase from previous reports.

On Monday evening, Trump announced 25 per cent import tariffs on products from any country doing business with Iran — a major oil exporter. Trump has also said more military action is among options he is weighing to punish Iran over the crackdown.

Tehran has not yet responded publicly to Trump’s announcement of the tariffs, but it was swiftly criticised by China. Iran, already under heavy US sanctions, exports much of its oil to China, with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India among its other top trading partners.

In the midst of these tensions, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi disclosed ongoing communications with the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, throughout the protests. Araghchi mentioned that Tehran is currently evaluating proposals put forth by Washington, suggesting a potential avenue for diplomatic engagement.

The uncertainty surrounding Iran’s future, a nation long regarded as a key player in Middle Eastern geopolitics, has drawn international attention. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed his belief that the Iranian government might soon collapse, reflecting the global skepticism about Iran’s political stability.

Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of fomenting the unrest.

Russia on Tuesday condemned what it described as “subversive external interference” in Iran’s internal politics, saying any repeat of last year’s US strikes would have “disastrous consequences” for the Middle East and international security.

Despite the protests, the economic strains, and years of external pressure, there are as yet no signs of fracture in the security elite that could bring down the clerical system in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Britain, France, Germany and Italy all summoned Iranian ambassadors in protest over the crackdown.

“The brutal actions of the Iranian regime against its own people are shocking,” the German foreign ministry said on X.

Responding to Merz’s remarks, Araghchi accused Germany of hypocrisy and claimed that the Chancellor had “obliterated any shred of credibility” with his criticisms, indicating Tehran’s dismissive stance towards foreign admonishments.

“I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” he said, adding that if it had to maintain power through violence, “it is effectively at its end”.

He did not expand on whether this forecast was based on intelligence or other assessments.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Kurdish rights organization Hengaw has reported a distressing development: the impending execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old man apprehended during protests in Karaj. The authorities have reportedly informed Soltani’s family that his death sentence is final, as per a source close to the family.

Rights group says man accused in protests set to be executed

The protests began on 28 December over the fall in value of the currency and have grown into wider demonstrations — with calls for the fall of the clerical establishment.

Iran’s authorities have taken a dual approach, cracking down while also calling protests over economic problems legitimate.

Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, has reported that a 26-year-old man, Erfan Soltani, arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, will be executed on Wednesday. Authorities had told the family that the death sentence was final, Hengaw reported, citing a source close to the family.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report. State media has not reported any death sentences so far.

The head of Iran’s judiciary has said specialised courts have been appointed to deal with protests.

Parliament member Mohammadreza Sabaghian, who represents an area in Yazd, in central Iran, said the government needed to resolve people’s dissatisfaction, otherwise “the same events will occur with greater intensity”.

Communications restrictions, including an internet blackout have hampered the flow of information. The UN rights office said phone services had been restored, but internet links with Iran remained patchy.

The Iranian intelligence ministry said it had confiscated electronic devices intended to be used in the protests, according to a statement carried by state media.

Hengaw reported that authorities had started to confiscate communications devices from households in several cities.