President Trump on Tuesday said he canceled talks with Iranian officials over their violent crackdown on protesters and vowed that the U.S. will “help” the protesters, encouraging them to continue with the unrest.
“Iranian Patriots, keep protesting — take over your institutions! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. Help is on its way,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president concluded his social media post with “MIGA,” presumably standing for Make Iran Great Again.
It’s unclear how Mr. Trump plans to help the Iranian protestors or which meetings he’s canceled. The announcement comes after Mr. Trump said he wanted Iran to negotiate with his administration and has threatened to strike the Middle Eastern nation.
Mr. Trump on Monday imposed a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran amid Tehran’s protest crackdown.
Under the tariff, all of Iran’s trading partners will have to pay the additional levy on any business being done with America. Mr. Trump did not release further details about how the tariff would work.
China, Brazil, Turkey, India and Russia are Iran’s largest trading partners, combining for more than $10 billion in trade annually, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
In 2023, Iran had the 36th largest economy in the world and was 92nd among 226 nations in total exports, OEC’s data revealed.
The president continues to weigh his options for U.S. intervention in Iran as the Mideast country escalates its attacks against anti-government demonstrators. Several hundred protesters have been reportedly killed, and internet access has been cut off.
Potential next steps for Mr. Trump include bolstering anti-government organizations in Iran, unleashing cyberweapons against its military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on Tehran and military strikes.
The president is not expected to send armed forces, and there has been no movement of U.S. military vehicles in the region.
“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief.”
The unrest in Iran began in late December after Iran’s currency collapsed, triggering a wave of anger that soon morphed into wider anti-government protests against the Islamic regime. Iran’s official currency, the rial, has lost half its value the past year.
Tehran over the weekend escalated its slaughter of protesters, with more than 500 people killed, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Other human rights groups have put the number in the thousands.
Iran has warned the U.S. and Israel against any potential intervention, with President Masoud Pezeshkian blaming both countries for the unrest.
Mr. Trump has openly supported the Iranian protests and hinted several times that the U.S. would “rescue” Iranians if the regime continued to kill protesters.
“Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!” Mr. Trump said Saturday on social media.
The president then told reporters on Air Force One late Sunday, “We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”
Iran pushed back on Mr. Trump’s threats. During a session of the Iranian Parliament, its speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalilbaf, warned, “All American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets” if the U.S. attacks his country.
Also, Iran’s leader, Ali Khamenei, said Friday that the regime will “not back down” against the protesters.
