By Gloria Ogbonna
Iranian protesters are reportedly calling on President Donald Trump to follow through on his pledge to protect them from what they describe as a brutal and murderous regime in Tehran, as human rights organizations warn that the government’s violent response to nationwide unrest is intensifying.
Demonstrations that began over economic hardship and government mismanagement have now evolved into a broader challenge to the ruling theocracy, with a rising death toll and mounting evidence of severe repression by Iranian security forces.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 29 people have been killed and more than 1,200 arrested since the protests erupted.
The demonstrations were sparked by widespread public anger over Iran’s collapsing economy, chronic corruption, and the regime’s prioritization of foreign militant activities over the basic needs of its own citizens.
The unrest has also been fueled by ongoing crises inside the country, including a severe water shortage that has pushed Tehran to the brink of partial evacuation after months of dwindling supplies.
As the protests gained momentum and began to pose a serious threat to the regime’s grip on power, President Trump issued a stark warning last Friday. He said U.S. forces were “locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iran resorted to violently killing peaceful demonstrators, describing such brutality as part of the regime’s established pattern. His comments signaled a readiness to respond if the Iranian government escalated its crackdown.
The U.S. State Department reinforced that message on Sunday, cautioning Tehran not to “play games” with Trump, especially in light of recent U.S. actions elsewhere, including the capture of Venezuelan narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Against this backdrop, videos circulating widely on Iranian and international social media on Tuesday showed protesters openly appealing for American protection. Messages written in English appeared on placards and spray-painted on walls, including one plea that read, “Trump, a symbol of peace, don’t let them kill us.”
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported that protests are continuing unabated across the country and claimed that demonstrators have effectively taken control of two western cities, Abdanan and Malekshahi.
According to the NCRI, protesters in several areas have managed to force regime security forces into retreat, signaling a growing boldness and organization within the movement.
Maryam Rajavi, president of the NCRI, said the demonstrations are rapidly transforming into a nationwide uprising.
“From city to city across Iran, sparks are turning into open uprising,” she said. “The voice of Iran’s streets, its bazaars, and its universities is a single cry: ‘Freedom, freedom.’ This is a fire that cannot be extinguished.”
Human rights groups have continued to document disturbing incidents tied to the crackdown. Amnesty International confirmed reports on Tuesday that Iranian security forces attacked a hospital in Ilam where injured protesters were receiving treatment.
Amnesty condemned the assault as an “unlawful use of force,” saying it demonstrated how far authorities are willing to go to crush dissent, even targeting medical facilities and wounded civilians.
Similar accounts have emerged from Tehran. Fox News Digital reported that security forces stormed Sina Hospital, where witnesses said officers terrorized patients, medical staff, and families as they searched for injured protesters. Radio Free Europe’s Radio Farda also interviewed an eyewitness to a brutal attack in Malekshahi.
According to the account, protesters threw stones at a building used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 3. In response, IRGC troops reportedly positioned themselves on the roof and opened fire directly into the crowd.
“Those who didn’t see them on the roof thought it was an air strike,” eyewitness Mohammad Heydari Ilami told Radio Farda.
“But when some of the people who were shot fell to the ground, people realized they were shooting directly at them.” Ilami said many of those killed were young people and described a high number of wounded. Independent human rights monitors reported that at least five protesters were killed in the incident, with dozens more injured.
Radio Farda also reported that IRGC forces were involved in the hospital attack condemned by Amnesty International, an event Ilami said he personally witnessed.
He recalled that despite tear gas and other assaults, protesters and medical staff initially prevented security forces from seizing bodies and arresting the wounded.
That resistance reportedly enraged regime forces, who later forced their way into the hospital and beat everyone in sight, including patients and healthcare workers.
As tensions escalate, Iran’s judiciary has issued ominous warnings. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei declared there would be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic.”
The regime has attempted to draw a distinction between what it calls “legitimate” protesters, whose complaints it claims to acknowledge, and “rioters,” whom it accuses of acting on behalf of the United States and Israel.
Ejei’s remarks underscored that while authorities may claim restraint toward some demonstrators, they intend to show zero tolerance toward anyone labeled an enemy agent.
“Following announcements by Israel and the U.S. president, there is no excuse for those coming to the streets for riots and unrest,” Ejei said, citing Trump’s pledge to protect protesters as evidence, in the regime’s view, of foreign interference.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced support for the demonstrators on Sunday, saying it was “quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run Fars news agency sought to discredit the protests, claiming some demonstrators had vandalized banks, looted food stores, and even fired on police attempting to disperse crowds.
As the unrest continues to spread, the competing narratives of peaceful citizens demanding freedom versus a regime portraying chaos and foreign manipulation are hardening.
What is clear, according to human rights groups and eyewitnesses, is that the cost in lives is rising, and many Iranians are increasingly looking beyond their borders for protection as they confront one of the most severe crackdowns in recent years.
Source Breitbart
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