Take over your institutions': Trump urges Iranian protesters to keep demonstrating, says ‘help is on its way’ – Firstpost

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on anti-government protesters in Iran to continue demonstrations across the country, telling them that “help is on its way”.

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump urged protesters to “take over your institutions” and introduced the slogan “MIGA”, short for “Make Iran Great Again”. He also reported he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials.

‘Take over your institutions’: Trump’s message

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a substantial value,” Trump wrote.

He added that all engagements with Iranian officials had been cancelled “until the senseless killing of protesters stops”, repeating that “help is on its way”.

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Trump later signed off his message with “MIGA!!!”, a play on his “Make America Great Again” slogan.

‘They will pay a massive price’

It remains unclear what Trump meant when he warned that Iranian officials would “pay a massive price”. However, a day earlier, he declared the US would impose a 25 percent tariff on “any and all” countries doing business with Iran.

On Monday, the White House had reported Trump “has an interest” in exploring diplomacy with Tehran, but his latest remarks appear to signal that such outreach has been put on hold.

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Tehran blames US and Israel

Iranian authorities have accused the US and Israel of backing what they describe as “riots” and “terrorism”, rejecting claims of peaceful protests.

Protests spread nationwide

Demonstrations triggered by worsening economic conditions have spread across all 31 provinces of Iran, according to reports.

Reuters stated around 2,000 people were killed and more than 10,700 arrested, though Iran’s government has not released official casualty figures. The Associated Press remarked it could not independently verify the toll due to internet shutdowns and restrictions on reporting.

Economic crisis fuels anger

Iran’s economy remains under severe strain, with the rial sliding to more than 1.4 million to the dollar amid soaring inflation and rising prices of basic goods.

Public anger has also been fuelled by cuts to fuel subsidies and the removal of preferential exchange rates for most imports.

Rising external pressure on Iran

The unrest comes as Iran faces mounting external pressure following a 12-day war with Israel in June, US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and the weakening of Tehran’s regional allies.

Trump has warned that Washington would respond if Iran continues to “violently kill peaceful protesters”.

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