Trump says U.S. is ready to help Iranians get freedom
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Demonstrators protest in Lafayette Park near the White House during multiple rallies opposing the Trump administration on Saturday. Photo: Luke Johnson/ Getty Images
President Trump said on Saturday that his administration is ready to help the protesters in Iran get the freedom they are looking for.
Why it matters: In his remarks, Trump went further than he has so far and suggested the U.S. could intervene in favor of the protesters regardless of whether the regime uses violence against them.
- Trump's comments give more backwind to the protesters and put more pressure on the regime amid the growing unrest in the country.
What he's saying: "Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Driving the news: Trump said several times over the last week that he will use military force if the Iranian regime uses force against protesters.
- "Iran's in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We're watching the situation very carefully. I've made this statement very strongly, that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved...that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts," Trump told reporters on Friday.
Between the lines: Raz Zimmt, the director of the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, questioned whether a U.S. military intervention at this stage would strengthen the current protest movement in Iran.
- "On the one hand, a military strike that targets specific regime assets, such as IRGC or law enforcement forces, could provide momentum and encouragement to the protest movement. On the other hand, such an intervention could have contradictory effects at this stage," he said.
- Zimmt added that U.S. military intervention could deter some of the citizens who are currently in the streets, especially given that many regime targets are located in the heart of population centers. In addition, it could be rejected by parts of the Iranian public and might delay the participation of broader segments of society who oppose foreign intervention in the protests.
- "Trump might be better off waiting to see how this wave of protests develops before adding another layer of uncertainty inherent in any such strike. However, if repression continues over the coming days, he may be compelled to act on his threats in order to maintain U.S. credibility," Zimmt said.
State of play: Since Thursday night, the protests in Iran have continued to grow and have now expanded to hundreds of towns and cities around the country, according to Iranian opposition groups.
- The internet service in Iran has been down over the last 48 hours. But videos of mass protests in Tehran and other cities are still being published on social media, possibly via internet services provided by Elon Musk's Star Link satellites.
- On Saturday, both the Iranian military and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued public statements pledging allegiance to the regime and stressing Iran's enemies — the U.S. and Israel — are behind the protests.
- The IRGC claimed in its statement that "terrorists" are involved in the protest and stressed that harming the achievements of the 1979 Islamic Revolution was a "red line."
What to watch: The foreign minister of Oman, Badr Al-Busaidi, visited Tehran on Saturday and met with President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials.
- Oman has been the key mediator between the U.S. and Iran in recent years, including in the negotiations the Trump administration held with Iran last year.
Go deeper: U.S. watching for signs Iran's protests could bring down regime
