"Terror and Hate"

To be fair- and if not fair, generous- President Trump has been ambivalent toward the effort of Iranians to overthrow the extreme Islamist government of Iran. A Persian-language news operation based in London, possibly financed by Sausi Arabia, and which has been designated as a terrorist group by Tehran reported on March 9 that when "asked if he still considers helping people of Iran," Donald Trump responded

I'd like to, if they can behave, but they've been very menacing. You know, they're great people. They have an amazing population. It's amazing, smart, brilliant, energetic. They have a great I'd love to help them, but they have to be in a system that allows them to be helped, and right now they're in a system that only allows failure.

The money quote was if they can behave but they've been very menacing. As is surely obvious to Donald, Iranians cannot overthrow their tyrannical theocracy unless they're menacing, and even more than menacing.

Trump approved of the protests, initially. In echoes of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, on January 13, he

urged Iranians to keep protesting and to “take over your institutions”, telling them “help is on its way”, as reports grew that a strike on Iran was imminent. But just a day later, Trump abruptly did an about-face, telling reporters that he had received assurances that Iranian authorities would not execute anyone, walking back from military intervention in Iran, at least temporarily.

In Iran, protesters despaired. Despite Trump’s reassurances, killings of demonstrators continued.

The streets of Tehran were empty, except for pickup trucks with armed security forces patrolling where tens of thousands had marched just days before...

If regime change were the President's goal, Jnuary would have been the opportune time to attack Iran. But it has not been a chief aimof his and on March 12, according to Iran International, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Gurards Corps warned

that opponents could face a blow “even stronger than January 8,” signaling the possibility of a renewed and harsher crackdown if street protests resume.

The warning came from the intelligence organization of the Revolutionary Guards, which said street unrest would be treated as a precursor to military action. “Those we call the ‘Neo-ISIS elements’ should know that a blow even harsher than that of January 8 awaits them,” the statement said.

More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a two-day crackdown on nationwide protests on January 8–9. Iran International confirmed the death toll after examining obtained classified documents along with field reports and accounts from medical staff, witnesses, and victims’ families.

In its statement, the Guards accused foreign adversaries of trying to stir unrest inside Iran after failing to achieve their goals on the battlefield. It said enemies were now attempting to “spread fear and provoke street protests.”

The warning came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military campaign was intended in part to create conditions that could allow Iranians to protest against the Islamic Republic.

Israel is determined to end the regime in Tehran so that Iran can never reconstitute its nuclear program. If met, these objectives would be of invaluable assistance to Prime Minister Netanyahu as he faces a difficult re-election campaign and prosecution for corruption. It's a war he cannot afford to lose.

By contrast, Donald Trump can afford to lose this war, one which he will declare victorious no matter how it turns out. It's not clear what he intended to accomplish by joining this war, which is a major reason he has been ambiguous and ambivalent- confused, actually- as to when it will end and what the end will look like.

Nonetheless, it now should be clear that, though Trump would like to own the next leader of Iran (think Venezuela), an explosion of democracy is far from the top of his mind.

 

Trump calls Iran “a nation of terror and hate.”

The nation, not the government.

Trump lumps the people and government together while simultaneously calling on the people to rise up against the government... pic.twitter.com/fKejWIsakY

— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) March 13, 2026

 

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