More than 2,000 people have died in Iran amid a vicious crackdown on protests across the country, according to a human rights group, as President Donald Trump urged Iranians to “keep protesting” and vowed that “help is on its way.”
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote in a post Tuesday on Truth Social. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
Sparked by the freefall of Iran’s rial currency, the protests’ staggering death toll — as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency — is the highest number of any unrest in Iran in decades. The organization said it has confirmed 2,403 protester deaths, 12 of whom were children. It also reported more than 18,400 arrests.
Those numbers suggest a soaring level of violence on the ground amid a near-total communications blockade imposed by Iranian authorities. Unverified videos on social media show scenes of chaos and people crying and gathering around rows of body bags on the streets.
Iranian authorities have also cut off internet service via the Starlink satellite service in an effort to prevent videos of the tumult from circulating online.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump has spoken with Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX runs Starlink, about restoring internet access to Iranians. Last year, the Trump administration pulled out of the Freedom Online Coalition, an international organization working to advance internet freedom that had pressured companies to step in and provide internet access to Iran during the 2022 protests. It’s unclear what Trump meant by saying that “help is on the way” in his Truth Social post. When asked by reporters in Detroit on Tuesday to clarify what sort of “help” he meant for protesters, the president said: “You’re going to have to figure that one out. I’m sorry.” Trump has threatened military action against Iran over the unrest, which began on Dec. 28. Iran’s foreign minister subsequently declared that they are ready for war with the U.S. if it comes to that. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has also condemned Trump’s threat of military action.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
