Trump encourages Iranian protesters, says 'help is coming'

Trump encourages Iranian protesters, says 'help is coming'

A day after the Trump administration threatened to strike

Iran from the skies, President Donald Trump encouraged Iranian 

protesters to keep flying and promised that "help is coming."

"Iranian patriots, keep protesting - occupy your institutions!!!

Save the names of the murderers and torturers.

They will pay a big price," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"I have canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the 

senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is coming. MEGA!!!"

The protests began in Tehran in late December when the

Iranian rial plummeted against the U.S. dollar,

deepening an already devastating economic crisis amid soaring 

inflation.

The violence has left hundreds dead and drawn condemnation

from human rights groups.

According to Reuters, an Iranian official said on January 12 that 

nearly 2,000 people had been killed in the protests.

The news agency said it was the first time authorities have 

acknowledged the high death toll from a crackdown amid two 

weeks of nationwide unrest.

The White House said an attack on Iran was “on the table”

as Trump considered military options after the Iranian regime’s 

brutal crackdown on the country’s largest protests in years.

“One of the things that President Trump is very good at is

keeping all his options on the table,” 

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said on January 12. 

“And airstrikes would be one of many, many options that

are on the table for the commander-in-chief.”

Russia has condemned what it described as

“devastating external interference”

in Iran’s domestic politics and said the U.S. threat of military

action against the country was “clearly unacceptable.”

"Those who plan to use externally inspired instability as

a pretext for a repeat of the aggression against Iran in June 2025 

must be aware of the catastrophic consequences of such

actions for the situation in the Middle East and global

international security,"

the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Trump also said that countries that do business with Iran would

face a 25% tariff on trade with the United States.

Iran, a major oil exporter, is already under tough US sanctions.

It exports most of its oil to China; Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab 

Emirates and India are among its other top trading partners.