‘He fooled us’: Iranian protesters say Trump betrayed them after raising expectations

Trump’s rhetoric fuels hope, then betrayal

As protests swept across Iran, some demonstrators initially believed the strong rhetoric of US President Donald Trump signalled backing for their movement. That belief has since turned into anger and disappointment, with protesters now accusing Trump of abandoning them.

Many demonstrators say they feel betrayed, arguing they were misled by Trump’s statements and actions. In the early stages of the unrest, the US president publicly voiced support for Iranian protesters and issued warnings to Tehran. When he wrote on social media that “help is on its way” and later said the United States was “locked and loaded” if peaceful demonstrators were harmed, many Iranians interpreted the remarks as a promise of concrete support, potentially even military intervention.

As protests intensified, the Iranian state responded with familiar tactics from previous crackdowns, including cutting communications, deploying security forces and using lethal force. Reports from across the country described sniper fire, machine-gun attacks and large numbers of people killed or missing. For some Iranians, responsibility was not placed solely on their own government.

News that the Pentagon had ordered some non-essential personnel to leave a major US base in the region was widely interpreted as a sign that conflict was imminent.

Trump later said Iran’s leaders had assured him that killings and executions would stop, and suggested that anticipated US military action would not occur. For protesters who had risked their lives believing Washington would intervene, the announcement came as a shock.

Referring to the protest death toll, a Tehran businessman told TIME magazine: “Trump is responsible for the death of these 15,000.”

“Because many of the protesters took to the streets when they saw his post that the US is ‘locked and loaded.’ The US must have made a deal with the Islamic Republic to ‘betray Iranians like this,’” he added.

“After he said the Iranian authorities had told him there won’t be any more killings and executions, everyone was just stunned,” said an Iranian interviewed after leaving the country.

“Everyone was enraged; they just kept saying this b*stard used us as cannon fodder. Iranians feel that they were played, that he fooled them, deceived them,” he added.

The sense of reversal was especially acute among those who had acted on Trump’s words.

“Trump is worse,” said a businessman in Tehran. “He screwed up. He pulled the rug from under our feet.”

“He’s not only yellow on the outside, he’s also yellow inside,” another Tehran resident told the magazine.

According to protesters, Trump’s remarks raised expectations that directly shaped people’s decisions to take to the streets, only for that perceived support to disappear when it mattered most. Some believe a deal was struck behind closed doors, while others see simple indifference.

“I’ve lost all hope,” said a woman in Tehran. “Trump’s not going to do anything. Why should he? He doesn’t care about us.”

The latest wave of protests began in late December, triggered by economic pressures including the sharp fall of the rial, soaring prices and financial mismanagement that made basic goods increasingly unaffordable.

What started as protests over economic hardship soon broadened into demands for political reform and changes to the government. Later in January, appeals from Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and other opposition groups were followed by nationwide demonstrations involving millions of people.

(With inputs from agencies)