As protests swept across Iran in the wake of a government crackdown, many demonstrators believed they had found an unlikely saviour in US President Donald Trump. However, their hopes have been dashed as Trump has seemingly abandoned them, leaving Iranians both at home and abroad feeling deeply betrayed.
The protests erupted after the government sharply raised fuel prices, sparking widespread unrest. When the authorities responded with a brutal suppression of dissent, including mass arrests and internet blackouts, Trump vowed to “rescue” the protesters if the Iranian regime started “shooting.” This promise gave many Iranians a glimmer of hope that, for the first time, a US president would come to their aid.
One such protester was 38-year-old Siavash Shirzad, who ignored his family’s warnings and took to the streets in Tehran, believing Trump’s assurances of support. Tragically, Shirzad was shot and killed during the protests, leaving behind a 12-year-old son. His cousin, speaking anonymously out of fear of repercussions, said: “Siavash hoped until the very end that Trump’s help would arrive. We told him: ‘Don’t go, it’s dangerous.’ But he gave a firm answer: ‘Trump said he supports us, I’m going.'”
However, Trump’s rhetoric soon shifted. After initially urging Iranians to “take over your institutions” and claiming that “help is on the way,” he abruptly backtracked, telling reporters that he had received assurances that the Iranian authorities would not execute any protesters. This about-face left many Iranians feeling betrayed and despairing, as the crackdown on demonstrations continued unabated.
Elham, an Iranian living in Sydney, expressed the sentiment of many in the diaspora: “As someone living in the diaspora, this feels like a slap in the face. Iranians have been let down before. This time, there was a sense it was going to be different.” The comments by Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Fox News, urging the US to engage in diplomacy, only fueled fears that Trump was willing to negotiate with the regime rather than support the protesters’ demands.
Even as US forces pulled back from bases in the Middle East and indicators of a potential US strike on Iran gathered, it remained unclear what, if any, action Trump planned to take. Analysts warned that US intervention could further the accusation that the protests are foreign-backed, without necessarily shielding the demonstrators from harm.
In the end, many Iranians, both at home and abroad, are left feeling betrayed and uncertain about their future. As Azam Jangravi, an Iranian based in Canada whose close friend was killed in the protests, said: “The people of Iran believed him. They placed their trust in his word. If he fails to act against this brutal regime, that trust will be broken and the people of Iran will not forget who stood with them, and who turned away.”