What that help looks like in coming days, however, is a closely-guarded secret for now in the White House and the Pentagon.
In a social media post to “Iranian Patriots,” posted Jan. 13, President Donald Trump told protesting Iranians to “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS.”
The post also urges protesters to save the names of their killers and abusers, a hint at future justice, and predicts they will “pay a big price.”
President Trump’s post also revealed he has cancelled planned meetings with Iranian officials, until the killings of protesters stops, which is not likely to happen as long as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei remains the Supreme Leader of Iran’s ayatollahs.
Finally, toward the end of the post, Trump tells the Iranian people “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” and ends his message with “MIGA,” meaning “Make Iran Great Again.”
The online post from Trump came two days after he told reporters he was starting to draw a red line with Iran's leaders after learning of the death toll, estimated to be at at least 12,000 dead and climbing, in Iran.
Despite an ongoing attempt by Khamenei to block internet access, protesting Iranians says Trump’s post is being circulating among a population experiencing violence and death but that also believes the U.S. president is supporting them.
Despite the problem with internet access, CBS News obtained footage of body bags lined up at a medical center in Tehran. Grieving family members can be seen searching for the bodies of their loved ones.
Iran’s population has fought the Khamenei regime before, most recently in 2022, but the current protests that began in late December were spurred by economics. Runaway inflation has devalued the nation’s currency, the rial, and now the population is suffering hunger and poverty under a regime whose ruling ayatollahs won’t miss a meal.
Iran’s protesting population appears to have reached a live-or-die phase after setting fire to buildings (pictured at right), toppling regime statues, and killing a military colonel blamed for ordering the killing of protesters.
On social media, second-hand stories from Iran describe a population shocked by the regime's blood lust to stay in power. There is also a belief the murderous regime is at its weakest since Khamenei came to power 47 years ago.
In a CNN story, published Wednesday, it described ongoing White House meetings in which Trump is weighing several options for taking action against Iran's regime.
Watching the events in Iran unfold, military analyst Bob Maginnis told American Family News the post from Trump was “deliberately ambiguous” for both Iran’s protesters and the regime’s leaders.
“But reporting suggests it signals more than rhetorical support,” Maginnis said. “It points to a combination of intensified economic pressure, diplomatic isolation, information support for protesters, and a reminder that military options remain on the table if the regime escalates its violence.”
Regarding any military strikes, Maginnis pointed out the Trump administration targeted and killed Iran’s top military commander, Qasem Soleimani, in a 2020 strike.
A similar targeted strike of other senior officials is a possibility because it weakens the regime’s leadership, Maginnis said, but targeting Khamenei is unlikely because of the political risk for doing so.
Hours after Maginnis spoke to AFN, Fox News reported some military personnel in the Middle East have been ordered to evacuate their bases. The story cited officials in Qatar, home of the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East.
Contacted by AFN for this story, the White House Press Office declined to comment and referred AFN to President Trump's recent comments.
