Trump urges Iranians to keep protesting, says 'help is on its way' |
By Elwely Elwelly and Bo Erickson
DUBAI/DETROIT, Jan 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting and said help was on the way, without giving details, as Iran's clerical establishment pressed its crackdown against the biggest demonstrations in years.
"Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!... HELP IS ON ITS WAY," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the "senseless killing" of protesters stopped.
Asked what he meant by "help is on its way", Trump told reporters that they would have to figure it out. Trump did not attend a national security meeting on Iran earlier on Tuesday described as a regular briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The unrest, sparked by dire economic conditions, has posed the biggest internal challenge to Iran's rulers for at least three years and has come at a time of intensifying international pressure after Israeli and U.S. strikes last year.
Following the U.S. president's post, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said on social media platform X that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were the "main killers" of the Iranian people.
An Iranian official said about 2,000 people had been killed in the protests, the first time........