Why Iran’s Protesters Feel Betrayed by Trump’s Promises

Published: 18 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

When Donald Trump publicly declared that he would “rescue” Iranian protesters if security forces opened fire, Siavash Shirzad chose to believe him. For the 38-year-old father, it was a promise unlike anything he had heard before. Iranian demonstrations had erupted and been crushed many times in his lifetime, but never had a sitting US president openly pledged support to people on the streets.

Despite urgent pleas from his family to stay home, Shirzad joined the swelling protests in Tehran. He believed that international backing, especially from Washington, meant this time might be different. That belief cost him his life.

On 8 January, as Iran’s authorities shut down the internet and plunged the country into near-total communications darkness, security forces fired on demonstrators. Shirzad was shot and later died from his injuries, leaving behind his 12-year-old son. Those close to him say he remained convinced until the very end that outside help would arrive.

“Siavash kept saying that Trump had promised to stand with the people,” a cousin said, speaking anonymously out of fear of reprisals. “We warned him how dangerous it was, but he told us: ‘Trump said he supports us. I have to go.’”

Just days earlier, Trump had encouraged Iranians to continue protesting and to “take over your institutions,” assuring them that “help is on its way.” As reports circulated that a US strike on Iran was imminent, hope spread among demonstrators and among Iranians watching anxiously from abroad. Yet within 24 hours, Trump shifted course, telling reporters he had received assurances that Iranian authorities would not carry out executions. He appeared to step back, at least temporarily, from the brink of military intervention.

Inside Iran, that reversal was devastating. Despite Trump’s claims, the crackdown intensified. Killings of protesters continued, mass arrests were reported, and Tehran’s streets fell eerily quiet, patrolled by armed security forces where tens of thousands had marched only days before. Protests persisted in provincial cities, but the communications blackout made it nearly impossible to assess their scale or coordination.

“People are being arrested in huge numbers,” a Tehran resident said in messages relayed through activists. “Once Trump’s attention moves on, the executions will begin.”

State television aired footage of forced confessions, while Iran’s chief justice was shown interrogating detained protesters. Human rights organisations warned that detainees were unlikely to receive fair trials and faced serious risks of abuse. In a joint letter, more than 30 rights groups said past unrest in Iran had repeatedly coincided with torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings inside detention facilities.

For now, authorities have stopped short of mass executions. The most prominent example was the cancellation of the death sentence of 26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani, with officials announcing that no hangings would take place. Trump publicly welcomed the decision, sharing news of Soltani’s reprieve. But many Iranians saw this as cold comfort amid continued repression.

Among the Iranian diaspora, feelings of betrayal ran deep. For weeks, families abroad had struggled to make contact with loved ones as violence escalated at home. Trump’s repeated assurances that help was coming became, for many, a fragile lifeline.

“It feels like a slap in the face,” said Elham, an Iranian living in Sydney. “We’ve been disappointed before, but this time there was real hope that something would finally change.”

To many overseas Iranians, Trump’s retreat from confrontation looked like a victory for Tehran. Rather than supporting protesters seeking to topple the regime, Washington appeared ready to negotiate. Comments by Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, calling for diplomacy during a US television interview, only reinforced fears that the regime was being given breathing space.

“If Trump gives this government a lifeline, it will crush hope completely,” Elham said. “Using people’s lives as political theatre is unforgivable.”

Despite unprecedented nationwide protests, analysts note that Iran’s leadership remains firmly in control in the short term, backed by well-armed and loyal security forces. A US strike, they warn, could provoke retaliation against Israel and American interests without protecting protesters on the ground. Others caution that foreign intervention risks reinforcing the regime’s narrative that demonstrations are orchestrated from abroad.

Still, many Iranians continue to hope for meaningful international action, even as they remain uncertain what form that help could take.

“The people believed his words,” said Azam Jangravi, an Iranian living in Canada whose close friend was killed during protests in Isfahan. “If he turns away now, they will remember who stood with them and who did not.”

Although Trump has stepped back from immediate military action, US officials insist that intervention has not been ruled out. Speaking to the UN security council, US ambassador Mike Waltz said all options remained on the table to halt what he described as the slaughter of civilians. A US aircraft carrier moving toward the Middle East and the redeployment of military assets to strengthen Israeli air defences suggested that escalation was still possible.

Inside Iran, however, protesters remain suspended in uncertainty. Cut off from the world and facing relentless pressure from authorities, many are unsure whether to return to the streets.

“For now, everything has paused,” said Alborz, a Tehran resident, in messages shared with activists. “People are waiting to see what Trump will do next.”