Through carnage of Iran crackdown, protesters looked to Trump

Through carnage of Iran crackdown, protesters looked to Trump

Iranian protesters who poured into the streets during January’s nationwide demonstrations say they believed help from the United States — and President Donald Trump — was coming as the regime unleashed a brutal crackdown.

NBC News spoke to five people who took part in the protests, most of whom have since fled Iran. They described scenes of chaos as security forces fired on crowds, carried out mass arrests and flooded cities with armed patrols.

One 25-year-old woman from Isfahan said she saw bodies piling up in the streets as gunfire echoed through protest zones. “I could see legs falling down and blood everywhere,” she said. Yet at the height of the demonstrations, optimism spread. “We are going to win,” protesters told each other. “We have America with us.”

That belief was fuelled by Trump’s public statements urging Iranians to “keep protesting” and warning Tehran against executing demonstrators. Trump later claimed his pressure campaign prevented hundreds of executions.

Protests erupted in late December as inflation soared and living costs became unbearable, but quickly expanded into a broad revolt against Iran’s clerical and military leadership. Demonstrators included families, professionals, workers and retirees across more than 200 cities, chanting slogans such as “Down with Khamenei” and “Long live the shah.”

As unrest intensified, authorities shut down the internet and launched a sweeping crackdown. Human rights group HRANA estimates more than 42,000 people have been arrested and at least 6,300 killed, with thousands more deaths under investigation. Verified videos reviewed by NBC News show morgues filled with bodies and families searching through body bags for loved ones.

After weeks of violence, Iran has fallen into an uneasy silence. Protesters say the streets are heavily policed, phones are checked for evidence of dissent and fear dominates daily life. Many now describe the pause as “the calm before the storm,” with hopes pinned on foreign intervention.

Some expressed anger that promised help never materialised. “He pushed people into the streets and said he would help,” one protester said. “But the strikes never came.”

Recent U.S. military movements in the region and renewed nuclear threats against Tehran have revived cautious optimism among Iranians watching from exile. But many now believe that without decisive international action, returning to the streets would be suicidal.

“We stood against bullets,” one protester said. “Without outside help, no one will do that again.”

Key takeaways

• Protesters believed U.S. backing was coming: Trump’s public encouragement raised expectations of intervention among demonstrators.

• Crackdown was severe and widespread: Thousands killed, tens of thousands arrested, and entire cities placed under security lockdown.

• Silence masks fear, not defeat: Many Iranians see the current calm as temporary — but only if foreign pressure escalates.

SOURCE: NBC NEWS