By Ginika Igboke
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the White House has canceled all meetings with Iranian officials, declaring support for ongoing mass protests against Iran’s ruling regime and warning that U.S. assistance is imminent.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote on social media. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
He ended the post with the phrase “MIGA,” short for “Make Iran Great Again.”
The statement marked a sharp shift from comments Trump made over the weekend, when he indicated he was open to negotiations after receiving recent communications from Tehran and suggested a meeting could take place. Tuesday’s remarks suggest the president now believes talks would be unproductive amid the escalating unrest.
Trump did not elaborate on what form U.S. assistance might take. However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a day earlier that the U.S. military could consider strikes in response to a sweeping crackdown on protesters.
On Monday, Trump also announced plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on any country that does business with Iran. Major economies that maintain trade ties with Tehran include China, Russia, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates.
A U.S.-based rights organization, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), reported that nearly 2,000 people have died since protests erupted in late December. The figure has not been independently verified, and Iranian authorities have not released official casualty numbers.
Access to information has been limited, with widespread internet outages and several Iranian state-run media websites taken offline, making it difficult to assess the scale of the demonstrations or confirm death tolls from outside the country.
Iranian officials have blamed foreign powers for fueling the unrest, which initially began over soaring inflation and economic conditions before evolving into broader protests against the regime.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement broadcast on state television that tens of thousands of pro-government supporters rallied nationwide on Monday. Iran’s attorney general has warned that protesters will be treated as “enemies of God,” a charge that carries the death penalty.
“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” Khamenei said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night that Iran is prepared for war following comments by Trump and other U.S. officials. “If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it,” he said, while adding that he hopes the White House will choose negotiations. Araghchi also accused the United States of acting in Israel’s interests and reiterated that Iran remains open to talks over its nuclear program.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have remained high since a 12-day aerial conflict over the summer, during which the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, and Iran launched missile barrages against U.S. and Israeli assets across the region.
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