Iran’s ‘Crowd Control’ Was Security Operation with Drones, Weapons, Witnesses Say

As reports emerged that thousands of Iranian protesters have been fatally shot by security forces, President Donald Trump reassured the people of Iran that “help is on its way” and warned Tehran that it will pay “a big price” for any violent crackdown.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged demonstrators to continue their marches in the streets and to document abuses by security forces. He said he had cancelled all meetings with Islamic Republic officials until they stop killing protesters and warned that those responsible will be held accountable.

The statement followed a brief interview, in which Trump said he had received messages from Islamic Republic authorities indicating a desire to resume negotiations, which Iran’s foreign minister later confirmed. The message arrived while Iranian authorities were violently confronting widespread anti-regime protests amid a near-total internet and news blackout.

State media described the demonstrators killed by security forces as “U.S. and Israeli agents.” Trump, who had warned Tehran against killing protesters, appeared to interpret the regime’s outreach as an attempt to deter U.S. action and continue the repression.

Accounts from inside Iran describe an atmosphere of escalating violence. Babak, a Tehran resident, left the country on January 12 after witnessing protests in northern Tehran over the weekend.

“Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, the number of security forces suddenly doubled,” he said. “Even before any crowd had formed, they began firing into the air and creating chaos.”
Despite this, protesters gathered and chanted “Javid shah!” (“Long live the shah!”). Demonstrations continued until around 2 a.m., he said.

“The most striking thing was the courage of the teenagers,” Babak added. “I’m 43 and have lived in several countries, but I’ve never seen anything like it. Seventeen- and 18-year-olds were saying that even if they are killed, at least the next generation will not have to live like this.”

Babak described scenes resembling a security operation, rather than crowd control. Drones hovered overhead, and when they moved away, security forces attacked, firing repeatedly. Protesters continued to film the events, he said, but feared that with the internet cut, their images and messages would not reach other cities or the outside world.

Trump’s comments came on the same day that regime-linked and international news agencies reported that at least 2,000 people had been killed during the unrest. State-affiliated outlets claimed those killed were victims of “terrorists,” their term for protesters. Other sources, without providing detailed evidence, placed the death toll as high as 12,000.

Another account came from Sahar, a resident of west Tehran, who managed to call a Persian-language satellite television channel after some international lines briefly reopened.

“Every day we hear the slogans, and my son and I go to the protests,” she said. “I have seen the videos of the massacre. I am finished with these criminals. I want to speak to the parents of the security forces who sleep during the day and come at night to kill our children. How can they allow this?”
She said that if the United States intends to act in support of protesters, “now is the time.”

Images of protesters holding English-language banners appealing directly to Trump are circulating on social media. Trump has said that he is in contact with unnamed “opposition leaders,” without providing details.

In parallel, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said in an interview with a U.S. television network that his team has been in contact with the Trump administration. A U.S. political news outlet reported that Trump envoy Steven Witkoff met privately with Pahlavi.

The same Persian-language television channel later reported, citing sources close to the Trump camp, that officials were discussing strikes against bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia, but that claim was not independently confirmed.

It remains unclear whether U.S. intervention would hasten the collapse of the Islamic Republic or simply limit its ability to suppress protests. For now, the demonstrations continue despite the killings, arrests, and communication blackouts.