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In the early days of Iran’s latest wave of anti-government protests, many demonstrators believed they had an unlikely ally in US President Donald Trump. His repeated public statements backing Iranian protesters, coupled with warnings to Tehran, were widely interpreted as a promise of tangible support, possibly even military intervention. When Trump posted on social media that “help is on its way” and later said the United States was “locked and loaded” if peaceful demonstrators were harmed, the messages spread rapidly across Iran. For protesters long accustomed to being crushed in isolation, the rhetoric sparked rare hope.
As demonstrations intensified, Iranian authorities responded with familiar tactics: internet shutdowns, mass arrests, deployment of security forces and the use of lethal force. Reports from across the country described sniper fire, machine-gun attacks and a growing number of deaths and disappearances.
For some Iranians, anger is now directed not only at their own government but also at Trump. Siavash Shirzad, a 38-year-old father from Tehran, was among those who trusted the US president’s words. According to his family, Shirzad believed Trump’s promise to “rescue” protesters if authorities opened fire.
Ignoring warnings from relatives, he joined the demonstrations. On January 8, after the internet was cut nationwide, Shirzad was shot during a protest in Tehran and died hours later, leaving behind his 12-year-old son.
“Siavash hoped until the very end that Trump’s help would arrive,” his cousin said anonymously. “He told us, ‘Trump said he supports us. I’m going.’”
Abrupt Shift In Washington
On Tuesday, Trump again urged Iranians to keep protesting and to “take over your institutions,” repeating that help was coming as reports emerged of a possible US strike on Iran. But within a day, he reversed course, saying Iranian authorities had assured him there would be no executions and indicating that military action would not proceed, at least for now.
The shift stunned protesters. Killings reportedly continued despite Trump’s reassurances, while Tehran’s streets fell silent under heavy security patrols. Protests persisted in some provinces, though the blackout made verification difficult.
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‘We Were Used’
For many Iranians, Trump’s retreat felt like betrayal. A Tehran businessman told TIME magazine that Trump bore responsibility for protest deaths, saying demonstrators had acted after reading posts that the US was “locked and loaded.”
“People feel they were played,” another Iranian said after leaving the country. “They believe he fooled them, used them as cannon fodder, and then walked away.”
The emotional backlash has been particularly intense among families who lost loved ones after acting on Washington’s words. “He pulled the rug from under our feet,” a businessman in Tehran said. “The damage is done.”