- Donald Trump initially encouraged Iranian protesters, raising hopes of US backing
- Iranian state used lethal force to suppress protests with sniper fire and arrests
- Trump later reversed stance, halting military action after Iran promised to stop killings
For many Iranians who poured onto the streets during the latest wave of protests, US President Donald Trump appeared to be a potential lifeline. That belief, protesters say, is what makes his subsequent reversal feel like a betrayal. The sense of grievance comes from a gap between Trump's claims and his actions.
Early in the unrest, the US President publicly encouraged Iranian protesters and issued warnings to Tehran. When he declared on social media that "help is on its way" and later warned that the US was "locked and loaded" if peaceful demonstrators were harmed, many Iranians interpreted those words as a promise of concrete backing, possibly even military intervention.
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As protesters surged back onto the streets, the Iranian state responded with familiar tactics: cutting communications, deploying security forces, and using lethal violence. Accounts from across the country describe sniper fire, machine-gun attacks, and large numbers of dead and missing. For some Iranians, responsibility does not rest solely with their government.
News that the Pentagon had ordered some non-essential personnel to leave a major US base in the region was widely read as preparation for conflict.
Then came the reversal. Trump announced that Iran's leadership assured him it would stop killings and executions, and he signalled that the anticipated US military action would not go ahead. For protesters who risked their lives believing Washington would intervene, the announcement came as a shock.
"Trump is responsible for the death of these 15,000," a Tehran businessman told TIME magazine, referring to the protest death toll. "Because many of the protesters took to the streets when they saw his post that the US is 'locked and loaded.' The US must have made a deal with the Islamic Republic to 'betray Iranians like this,'" he said.
"After he said the Iranian authorities had told him there won't be any more killings and executions, everyone was just stunned," said an Iranian interviewed after leaving the country. "Everyone was enraged; they just kept saying this b*stard used us as cannon fodder. Iranians feel that they were played, that he fooled them, deceived them."
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The emotional whiplash was especially sharp for those who acted on Trump's words. "Trump is worse," said a businessman in Tehran. "He screwed up. He pulled the rug from under our feet."
"He's not only yellow on the outside, he's also yellow inside," another Tehran citizen told the magazine.
In their view, Trump's statements raised expectations that directly influenced people's decisions to protest, only for that support to evaporate when it mattered most. Some believe a deal was struck behind closed doors. Others see indifference.
"I've lost all hope," said a woman in Tehran. "Trump's not going to do anything. Why should he? He doesn't care about us."
The anger grew when Iranian officials openly mocked Trump's claims and promised more repression. With protests crushed back into the shadows, many Iranians now feel they paid the price for believing an external promise that was never fulfilled.
A smaller group still argues that Trump's retreat may be tactical. "He is tricking the regime," said an engineer in Tehran. "Right now the uprising is paralysed," said a resident of Zirab. "I don't know if it will ever recover."
The latest protests in Iran began in late December, triggered by economic problems, including the devaluation of the rial, rising prices, and financial mismanagement that made basic goods hard to afford. Initially focused on economic issues, the protests grew to include calls for political reform and changes to the government.
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In January, following calls by Iran's exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and other opposition groups, millions took to the streets nationwide.
