Trump urges people of Iran to keep protesting, says ‘help is on its way’
DUBAI: Trump urges people of Iran to keep protesting as US President Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly called on Iranians to continue demonstrations against their government, claiming that external assistance was imminent, even as Tehran intensified its crackdown on the largest protests the country has seen in years.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump addressed what he called “Iranian Patriots,” urging them to “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” and added that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” without providing further details. He also said he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until what he described as the “senseless killing” of protesters came to an end.
The unrest, triggered by worsening economic conditions and rising living costs, has emerged as the most serious internal challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership in at least three years. The protests come amid heightened international pressure following Israeli and US strikes carried out last year.
An Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that approximately 2,000 people have been killed since the protests began, marking the first time authorities have acknowledged such a high death toll during the two-week nationwide unrest. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that individuals described as “terrorists” were responsible for the deaths of both protesters and members of the security forces, though no detailed breakdown was provided.
On Monday evening, Trump announced the imposition of 25 percent import tariffs on goods from any country conducting business with Iran, a move that further escalates economic pressure on the oil-exporting nation. He has also stated that additional military action remains among the options under consideration, repeating earlier remarks that the United States is “locked and loaded.”
Iran has yet to officially respond to the tariff announcement, but the move was swiftly criticised by China. Despite long-standing US sanctions, Iran exports much of its oil to China, with Turkey, Iraq, and India also among its key trading partners.
Russia strongly condemned what it described as “subversive external interference” in Iran’s internal affairs. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said US threats of new military strikes were “categorically unacceptable,” warning that using unrest as a pretext for renewed aggression against Iran would have disastrous consequences for Middle East stability and global security.
Despite the scale of the protests and Iran’s deepening economic crisis, analysts note that there have so far been no visible fractures within the country’s powerful security establishment that could threaten the clerical system that has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
However, uncertainty over Iran’s political future continues to grow internationally. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believed the Iranian government was nearing collapse, stating that a regime relying on sustained violence to maintain power was effectively reaching its end. He did not clarify whether his assessment was based on intelligence or other evaluations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed Merz’s remarks, accusing Germany of applying double standards and saying Berlin had “obliterated any shred of credibility” through its criticism.
