Trump to Iran Protesters: 'Help Is on the Way'

TL;DR

President Donald Trump urged Iranian anti-government protesters to keep taking to the streets, posting on Truth Social that 'help is on its way' and that he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the killing of protesters stops. Human rights groups counted around 650 people killed before an internet shutdown, with reports suggesting the true toll may reach many thousands.

Transcript

Donald Trump has urged protesters to keep taking to the streets and that his help is on its way. He said he has canled all meetings with Iranian officials. Let me put you put the post from Truth Social onto the screen because he has written Iranian patriots. Keep protesting. Take over your institutions. Save the names of the killers and abusers. Th... Read More

Key Insights

• Trump posted on Truth Social telling 'Iranian patriots' to keep protesting, take over their institutions, and save the names of the killers and abusers, warning that 'they will pay a big price' for the crackdown.
• Trump said he canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops, though correspondent Paul Adams noted it is unclear whether any such meetings were actually scheduled.
• Trump's options for intervention are described as a wide range short of ground troops, including B2 bomber strikes, submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles on specific facilities, cyber attacks, and disinformation campaigns.
• US boots on the ground and hostage-rescue-style raids are seen as far too risky, with correspondents invoking Jimmy Carter's failed 1979 Tehran hostage rescue that had terrible political consequences.
• A human rights organization identified around 650 people killed before the complete internet shutdown, a figure gathered before communication with the outside world was cut off during six further days of crackdown.
• Reports reaching the BBC describe hospitals overwhelmed with injured young men and women and morgues piled with bodies, leading to fears the true number killed and injured may be in many thousands.
• Iranians are communicating and organizing protests secretively through neighborhoods, universities, and Starlink satellite equipment, since internet and phone services have been shut down across the country.
• Protesters span all age groups, religions, and sects, united under the historic lion and sun flag, which one guest described as a symbol of Iran for thousands of years that the Islamic Republic had changed.

Questions & Answers

Q: What did Donald Trump say to Iranian protesters?

Trump urged Iranian protesters to keep taking to the streets, posting on Truth Social: 'Iranian patriots. Keep protesting. Take over your institutions. Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.' He added that 'help is on its way' and said he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. He made the statement before boarding Air Force One and added very little verbally.

Q: What did Trump mean by 'help is on the way'?

The exact meaning is unknown, as correspondent Paul Adams stated plainly: 'What does he mean by that? We don't know.' The phrase suggests possible action may be imminent, but the specific form was not disclosed. It could indicate a military strike, cyber operations, or other intervention. All the guests emphasized that none of them knows what kind of strikes or support Trump intends to conduct in favor of the protesters.

Q: What military options does Trump have against Iran?

According to Paul Adams, Trump has an enormous range of options: a repeat of last summer's B2 bombers flying from Missouri to strike Iran's nuclear program, Tomahawk missile strikes launched from submarines closer to Iran to take out specific facilities such as headquarters or militia barracks, plus cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns designed to confuse and demoralize the regime. However, US boots on the ground and hostage-style raids are considered far too risky.

Q: Why is Trump ruling out US boots on the ground in Iran?

Paul Adams said you can be pretty sure Trump is not thinking about putting US boots on the ground or conducting an operation like the recent Venezuela raid with helicopters capturing that country's leader, because such actions are simply far too risky. He also cited the spectre of Jimmy Carter's 1979 effort to rescue American hostages held in Tehran, which ended in disaster and had terrible political consequences for Carter, something Trump had alluded to recently.

Q: How many people have been killed in the Iran protests?

A human rights organization said around 650 people had been killed, which was the number they could identify before the complete shutdown of the internet. During the six subsequent days of internet shutdown and cut-off communication, there was a heavy crackdown on protesters. Based on messages from hospitals across the country reporting overwhelmed wards and morgues piled with bodies, guests expressed fear that the true number killed and injured may be in many thousands.

Q: How are Iranian protesters communicating during the internet shutdown?

With internet and phone services shut down, some people traveled to Iran's border to get a signal from a neighboring country's SIM card and send messages, while a small group used Starlink satellite connections to reach media outlets. Protests are organized secretively by passing messages through neighborhoods, universities, and communities, with people asking each other where and what time demonstrations will start. The regime has also removed satellite dishes from rooftops to block Persian TV.

Q: Who is taking part in the Iran protests?

According to the editor-in-chief of Independent Persian, the protests span all age groups, all religions, and all sects. She described it as the beauty and phenomenon of the demonstration that Iranians of any type of religion and sect are united under one flag: the lion and sun, which she said has been a symbol of Iran for thousands of years and which the Islamic Republic changed. People continue turning out despite the huge risks and violent crackdown.

Q: What was the situation like in Tehran during the crackdown?

The Independent Persian editor said her mother, who lives in northern Tehran, reported that Thursday was the harshest day of regime brutality, with the sounds of automatic rifles not stopping until early morning. Shops and grocery stores closed at 1 p.m., yet people managed to communicate and appear at demonstrations. She said one cousin was shot in the eyes and appears to have lost his sight, and families must often deny relatives were protesters before bodies are released.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Donald Trump used Truth Social to urge Iranian protesters to keep demonstrating and take over their institutions, saying 'help is on its way' and that he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. His national security team is expected to meet to discuss options.

• BBC correspondent Paul Adams said Trump sounds like a president who believes this is the moment to hasten the end of the Islamic regime. Trump's range of options includes B2 bombers, Tomahawk missiles, cyber attacks and disinformation, but explicitly rules out putting US boots on the ground.

• Guests from BBC Persian and Independent Persian described around 650 deaths counted before the internet shutdown, overwhelmed hospitals, and piled-up morgues, with fears of thousands killed. Protests continue, organized secretively via satellite equipment, drawing all ages and sects united under the lion and sun flag.