Trump Says US Ready to Help Iranian Protesters as Death Toll Rises

The president warned Tehran against deadly force as lawmakers and world leaders condemned an intensifying crackdown.

A frame grab from Iranian state television shows a man documenting burning vehicles during overnight protests in Zanjan, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. Iranian state TV via AP

As protests across Iran entered their 14th day on Jan. 10, President Donald Trump said the United States stands ready to help Iranians seeking freedom, while senior U.S. lawmakers and world leaders voiced growing alarm over an intensifying crackdown by Tehran’s security forces.

“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump wrote in a Jan. 10 post on Truth Social. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”

The president’s message was issued as Iran’s regime maintained sweeping internet shutdowns and security forces expanded deployments across major cities, sharply restricting the flow of information and making independent verification of events on the ground more difficult—particularly of the number of protesters killed or injured in the crackdown.

Trump, Rubio, Lawmakers Signal Support

Trump has repeatedly warned that the United States would respond if Iranian authorities escalate the use of lethal force against demonstrators.

In remarks during a Jan. 9 meeting with oil executives at the White House, he said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and while he made clear that any U.S. response would not involve ground troops, the regime would be targeted in other painful ways.

“I’ve made this statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved,” Trump said. “We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, amplified that message in a series of social media posts, one of which the president shared publicly.

“This is truly not the Obama administration when it comes to standing up to the Iranian ayatollah and his religious Nazi henchmen, and standing behind the people of Iran protesting for a better life,” Graham wrote in the message that Trump shared. “To the regime leadership: your brutality against the great people of Iran will not go unchallenged. Make Iran Great Again.”

In a separate post, Graham said Trump’s rhetoric had become a symbol of solidarity with demonstrators and urged people to publicly stand with Iranians calling for change.

Other U.S. lawmakers from both parties also voiced support for the protesters.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said Iranians were showing courage despite an internet blackout imposed by a “desperate” leadership, and urged more pressure “that breaks Iran’s evil regime.” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the unrest was both an “opportunity” and an “obligation” for the United States and the world to rally behind the Iranian people.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reiterated U.S. support, writing on X that Washington stands with “the brave people of Iran,” a message echoed by the State Department, which warned Tehran not to test Trump’s resolve.

Death Toll Rises

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said at least 116 people have been killed since the protests began, including seven minors, with 2,638 detainees recorded as of Jan. 10. The group said most deaths resulted from live ammunition or pellet gunfire, often from close range.

HRANA reported that protests have been documented at 574 locations across 185 cities in all 31 provinces, while noting that the apparent decline in reported demonstrations in recent days likely reflects severe communication restrictions rather than a genuine easing of unrest.

Despite the blackout, HRANA said protests have continued in Tehran, Shiraz, and Zahedan, often taking the form of brief, mobile gatherings designed to evade heavy security presence. Surveillance drones and expanded security patrols have been reported in several cities.

“The pattern of protests in the capital has largely taken the form of scattered, short-lived, and fluid gatherings, an approach shaped in response to the heavy presence of security forces and increased field pressure,” HRANA wrote in the latest update.

Iranian authorities have labeled demonstrators as “terrorists” or “armed elements,” language that HRANA said is aimed at justifying harsher repression.

Protesters Torch Government Buildings

Images shared on social media and independently verified by Euronews show a government building set ablaze in Karaj, west of Tehran, on the evening of Jan. 9, as the anti-government protests continued across Iran.

Additional images circulating online appear to show protesters setting fire to government buildings in Tehran, though the full extent of the damage and timing of the incidents could not be independently confirmed.

Crowds also torched the Al-Rasul mosque in Tehran, a symbol of the Islamic regime, according to footage shared on social media, with Iranian state-run media confirming that the mosque in the video had been burned.

Chants of “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei,” could be heard in the video, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei has signaled an imminent crackdown while accusing Washington of backing “rioters,” alleging in a series of social media posts that protesters were engaging in violence at Washington’s behest and warning that U.S. efforts would fail.

Calls Grow for International Action

Exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi issued a message on Jan. 9, calling on supporters to continue demonstrations and called for nationwide strikes in key sectors, including transportation and energy. He also appealed to members of Iran’s security forces to slow and disrupt what he called the regime’s “machine of repression.”

Iranian American activist Masih Alinejad, co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, shared messages she said came from inside Iran describing protesters facing live fire and pleading for urgent international support. In one post, she said demonstrators were asking Trump and Western governments for action, warning that words alone were no longer sufficient.

“My brothers and sisters were shot in the chest, in the heart, for demanding freedom,” Alinejad said in a separate post, which featured a video of what appeared to be security forces firing at protesters.

“Sources inside Iran say hundreds have been killed,” she continued. “This is a war against unarmed people and they need the world’s support.”

International concern widened on Jan. 10, with European leaders condemning Iran’s response to the protests.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on social media that Europe “unequivocally” condemns the violent repression of what she described as legitimate demonstrations and called for the immediate release of detainees and the full restoration of internet access.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he and other European leaders strongly condemn the killing of protesters and urged Iranian authorities to refrain from violence and uphold fundamental rights.

The protests, sparked in late December 2025 by surging inflation and the collapse of Iran’s currency, have since evolved into the most sustained nationwide challenge to the Islamic Republic in years.

Reuters contributed to this report.