Protesters in Iran say they feel betrayed after Trump’s pledge of help

Many protesters in Iran say they feel betrayed after US president Donald Trump urged them to keep demonstrating and promised help if Iranian authorities began shooting. Siavash Shirzad, 38, who took to the streets believing the president’s pledge, was shot at a protest in Tehran on 8 January and died hours later, leaving a 12-year-old son, his cousin said anonymously.

Trump told Iranians to “take over your institutions” and that “help is on its way” as reports of a strike on Iran grew, but a day later he said he had received assurances that Iranian authorities would not execute anyone and walked back from military intervention, at least temporarily.

Despite the US rhetoric, the internet was shut off, killings of demonstrators continued, state TV aired footage of forced confessions, and more than 30 rights groups warned of heightened abuses and risky detention conditions. Authorities did cancel some executions, most notably the death sentence of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, a move Trump highlighted, but Iranians in the diaspora described his about-face as a betrayal.

“As someone living in the diaspora, this feels like a slap in the face,” one Iranian in Sydney said, and others warned that a US lifeline for the regime would destroy hope for ordinary Iranians, a Canadian activist said.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Iran, Tehran, Siavash Shirzad, Erfan Soltani