Donald Trump told Iranians to “keep protesting” against the regime, promising that “help is on the way.”
The US president didn’t offer specifics, though he has threatened military action to counter Iranian authorities’ deadly crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
Trump on Tuesday canceled meetings with Iranian officials, while Axios reported that a top White House envoy secretly met Iran’s exiled former crown prince — an opposition figure.
Amid an internet blackout, some Iranians used landline phones to inform relatives of lethal force being used against protesters. The violence may tempt Trump to deal a “deathblow” to the regime, two experts wrote in Foreign Affairs, but a US strike could backfire by diverting citizens’ attention and giving Tehran a reprieve.