An Iranian man reportedly died by suicide after posting a video of himself urging US President Donald Trump and Western governments to refrain from making any deals with Iran’s ruling establishment. The man, identified as Pouria Hamidi, a resident of Iran's southern port city of Bushehr, stated that his appeal was intended to draw attention to what he called the deadly crackdown on protests in Iran and called for foreign intervention against the country’s clerical leadership.
"If you're watching this, then I'm not around anymore," Hamidi said at the start of the video posted to his YouTube channel, ‘PoorY X,’ on February 5 with the caption "This Is My Sacrifice – Please, Free My Country".
In the video recorded in English, he asserted that over 40,000 people had been "killed and massacred," claiming the death toll exceeded the casualties of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine war.
Addressing the American leadership directly, he urged them not to negotiate any diplomatic agreement with Tehran, warning that any deal with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime would "betray all those people who died."
"So please, I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal," he added.
He noted that US President Donald Trump had encouraged Iranians to "keep protesting," adding, "and we did, we trusted him." However, he added that it is impossible to fight armed force, asserting that Iranians can't win against the Islamic regime without external support.
"America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. We can't fight this regime alone. Our people need foreign intervention," Hamidi said.
He also voiced support for Iran's exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, stating that he is "the best choice to make a transitional government." Additionally, he called on the various opposition groups outside Iran to "come together" and end their internal infighting.
"You don't know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't even cry about it because it's so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future. But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this," he added.
Hamidi stated that his appeal was intended to give meaning to his life, hoping Iranians would support one another. At the end of the recording, he switched to Persian, stating, "We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran." According to Iranian and regional media outlets, Hamidi took his own life after publishing the video.
The incident comes against a backdrop of intensifying tensions over Iran, including speculation about renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran. Iranian authorities have stepped up their crackdown after recent protests.