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Protesters in Iran have appealed directly to Donald Trump for protection according to new videos sent to Iran International on Tuesday after the US president twice warned Tehran not to kill demonstrators or face US intervention.
In one clip, a woman holds a sign reading, "Trump, a symbol of peace. Don't let them kill us," while another shows the same message spray painted in red on a concrete wall.
The woman holds the sign in English while she says in Farsi, "Help, we need HELP."
A viewer sent in a video from Yazdanshahr in Esfahan Province showing protesters standing and resisting in the street as government security forces opened fire.
Addressing Donald Trump, the protester says: "Do something, Trump! If not now, then when? Step forward."
US Senator Lindsey Graham on Monday posted a picture of himself alongside Trump, who was holding a signed "Make Iran Great Again" cap. The President had invoked the slogan on June 22, the day he launched surprise attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
Another video shows a young man jumping up to paste a sticker reading "Trump Street" in Farsi over a road sign on a wall.
Trump earlier warned Iran that the United States will "hit (Iran) very hard" if security forces kill protesters.
The US president also posed with a "Make Iran Great Again" hat in a picture shared by Republican senator Lindsey Graham.
The MIGA slogan was earlier used by Trump in a post on his Truth Social in June.
"It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!" the president wrote at the time.
Also in late December, Israeli minister Gila Gamliel posted a selfie wearing a MIGA cap, tagging exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi and captioning it "Soon."
Elon inspires protesters
A Persian phrase used by Elon Musk in reply to a post by Iran’s Supreme Leader on X also made its way into the ongoing protests in Iran.
Protesters in Chenar village in Asadabad, Hamadan, chanted the phrase — which roughly translates as “what a futile delusion” or “in your dreams”.
Musk used the phrase in response to a post by Khamenei that said, “We will not give in to the enemy.”
The Republican-led US House Foreign Affairs Committee voiced support for anti-regime protesters in Iran on Tuesday, saying demonstrators are “taking to the streets to reclaim that right” as it shared a video of protests.
“For too long, the Islamic regime in Tehran has denied its people the right to choose who governs them,” the committee’s GOP majority posted on X.“Now, they are taking to the streets to reclaim that right.”
US Senator Lindsey Graham accused Iran’s leadership of violently repressing protesters, saying President Donald Trump should be taken seriously when he issues warnings.
“If the Iranian regime leaders continue to indiscriminately kill people protesting bitter oppression, then maybe we should tell those leaders that they continue the killing at their own peril,” Graham said in a post on X.
Last week Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go” and warned Iran it would face a strong response if protesters were killed.
At least 36 people have been killed during ongoing protests in Iran, a US-based human rights group said, as merchant strikes and street demonstrations spread to 285 locations across 92 cities nationwide on the tenth day of unrest.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 34 protesters and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed since the unrest began on Dec. 28.
Four of those killed were under the age of 18. Dozens more protesters have been injured, many by pellet and plastic bullets.
Protests have now been recorded in 27 provinces, with security forces arresting more than 2,000 people, the report said.
At least 36 people have been killed during ongoing protests in Iran, a US-based human rights group said, as merchant strikes and street demonstrations spread to 285 locations across 92 cities nationwide on the tenth day of unrest.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 34 protesters and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed since the unrest began on Dec. 28.
Four of those killed were under the age of 18. Dozens more protesters have been injured, many by pellet and plastic bullets.
Protests have now been recorded in 27 provinces, with security forces arresting more than 2,000 people, the report said.
The crackdown on protests has extended to hospitals and medical centers treating wounded demonstrators in Ilam and Tehran, according to eyewitness reports and videos obtained by Iran International.
The most significant development on the tenth day of protests was a widespread strike and demonstration by bazaar merchants, particularly in Mashhad's commercial centers and Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.
Large sections of the gold, currency, fabric, footwear and household goods markets were reported fully or partially closed. Security forces increased their presence around major commercial hubs and blocked some gatherings, but the strike disrupted daily economic activity and reduced foot traffic, highlighting the growing overlap between street protests and economic dissent.
HRANA also documented an escalation in force by security units, including the use of pellet guns, tear gas and direct assaults on demonstrators. Rights monitors said official accounts of some deaths conflict with eyewitness testimony and remain under investigation.
Ilam protests
The Kurdish-majority Ilam province in western Iran remained a flashpoint of protests on Tuesday, as funerals in the city of Malekshahi for slain protesters turned into scenes of massive anti-government protests. Huge crowds in the city of Abdanan also poured into the streets with chants against the Supreme Leader.
Seven Iranian Kurdish opposition parties have issued a joint call for a general strike on Thursday, in support of nationwide protests and in condemnation of what they described as the “crimes of the regime in Kermanshah, Ilam and Lorestan.”
They said they strongly condemned the crackdown on demonstrations and the detention of protesters, describing it as a "long-standing policy of the Islamic Republic regime."
The parties called on all political parties and civil organizations to “take a united and collective stance against the crimes of the Islamic Republic regime and join this call.”
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi also issued his first call for protests in a video message on Tuesday, calling on Iranian protesters to chant slogans at 8 pm (local time) on Thursday and Friday.
Hospital intrusions
In a major point of concern, security forces were reported to have entered at least two hospitals. In Ilam, witnesses said tear gas was fired inside Imam Khomeini Hospital as forces attempted to arrest wounded protesters transferred from Malekshahi.
In Tehran, reports said security personnel entered Sina Hospital and detained injured demonstrators, creating fear among patients and families.
Iran’s government said it had ordered an investigation into unrest in Ilam after rights groups condemned reports that security forces raided a hospital where injured protesters were being treated.
The public relations office of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, which oversees Sina Hospital, also said tear gas was not deliberately fired inside the hospital during Tuesday’s protests, according to a statement carried by Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim.
