Protests in Iran

Iranians feel let down: “Thought help was on the way”

38-year-old father Siavash Shirzad was shot dead by security forces while protesting against the Iranian regime in Tehran on January 8. Siavash had hesitated about taking to the streets but Donald Trump’s promise made him change his mind, a relative tells The Guardian.

“Siavash hoped until the very end that Trump’s help would arrive,” says Siavash’s cousin, who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons.

Several from the resistance movement and exiled Iranians tell the newspaper that they feel let down by the United States. When the protests broke out, Donald Trump promised that the demonstrators would receive help. The president also encouraged the people to continue protesting. But American help failed to arrive, and thousands of Iranians have been confirmed dead.

“The people of Iran believed him. They trusted his word,” says Iranian refugee Azam Jangravi.

President promises war if Ayatollah is attacked

If any country attacks Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it will be a full-scale war. This is what Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote in a post on X.

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has hinted several times that the United States could provide assistance in connection with the demonstrations critical of the regime in Iran. Now it seems that the president's plans have been put on hold.

The Iranian president also claims that the "hostility" from the United States and its allies is the main reason for the Iranians' "difficulties".

Internet is reportedly partially back in Iran

Ten days after the Iranian regime cut off the population's access to the internet due to the protests, some internet services are now reportedly working again, according to the organization Netblocks.

They write that parts of Google and some messaging services are working on Sunday, although connectivity is still severely limited.

Human rights groups and experts have raised the alarm that the internet shutdown was carried out to cover up the regime's brutal violence against protesters.

Thousands of people have been killed by security forces, but the shutdown has made it difficult to conduct independent investigations into the situation. Some organizations say the death toll is in the tens of thousands.