US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Iranian citizens to “keep protesting”, adding that “help is on its way”, but did not mention specifics of what that would entail.
As the protests entered their third week, an Iranian official confirmed earlier in the day that at least 2,000 people, including security personnel, had been killed during the uprising.
The unrest, triggered by severe economic hardship, poses the most serious internal challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership in at least three years. It also unfolded amid growing international pressure following Israeli and US strikes last year.
Trump calls on protesters to seize state institutions
Reacting to the unrest, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had paused diplomatic engagement with Tehran and urged Iranians to continue protesting.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers,” Trump wrote in the social media post.
“They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!”
‘MIGA’ refers to ‘Make Iran Great Again’, a variation of Trump’s campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again’.
US President Donald Trump's Truth Social post.
Iran signals openness to talks with Washington
Iranian authorities said they continued to keep communication channels with Washington open as Trump weighed his response to the crackdown.
“We have a duty to engage in dialogue and we will certainly do so,” government spokesperson Mohajerani said on Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said diplomacy remained the preferred option, even as military alternatives were considered. “Diplomacy is always the first option for the president,” she said.
She added that public statements from Tehran differed from private messages received by the administration, and that Trump remained interested in exploring those communications.
Iran’s foreign minister Araqchi, in an interview with Al Jazeera, said Tehran was reviewing proposals from Washington, though he described them as “incompatible” with US threats. He added that contacts between himself and US special envoy Steve Witkoff had continued before and after the protests and remained ongoing.
Iran confirms death toll amid nationwide protests
About 2,000 people, including members of the security forces, had been killed in protests across Iran, news agency Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an Iranian official.
The acknowledgement marked the first time authorities confirmed the scale of fatalities following an intense crackdown during nearly two weeks of unrest across the country.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said individuals described as terrorists were responsible for the deaths of both protesters and security personnel. No official breakdown of casualties was provided.
Tariffs, military threats and global reactions
On Monday evening, Trump announced a 25 per cent import tariff on goods from any country doing business with Iran, a major oil exporter. He also said further military action remained among the options under consideration, repeating earlier remarks that the United States was “locked and loaded”.
Tehran did not issue an immediate public response to the tariff announcement. China criticised the move swiftly. Iran, already under extensive US sanctions, exports much of its oil to China, with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India among its other major trading partners.
EU condemns violence, signals fresh sanctions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the situation and casualties in Iran as “horrifying” and condemned the use of force against protesters.
“I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and the continued restriction of freedom,” she said in a post on X, adding that the European Union had already placed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps under its human rights sanctions regime in its entirety.
Von der Leyen said that, in close coordination with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, further sanctions against those responsible for the repression would be proposed swiftly.
“We stand with the people of Iran who are bravely marching for their liberty,” she said.
Information blackout and arrest figures
Restrictions on communications, including an internet blackout, disrupted the flow of information in recent days. The United Nations rights office said phone services had been restored, but internet access remained inconsistent.
Videos of night-time clashes over the past week showed violent confrontations involving gunfire and burning vehicles and buildings, Reuters reported, saying it verified some of the viral clips.
US-based rights group HRANA said that by late Monday, 10,721 people had been arrested. Reuters said it could not independently verify the figures.
Rights groups said they had identified hundreds of those killed by name, while opposition groups abroad claimed the death toll exceeded the official estimate. HRANA also reported that families gathered at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery, where they chanted slogans at burial sites.
 "'Help is on its way': Trump's cryptic post to protesters raises Iran stakes")
