Trump urges Iranians to keep protesting, says help is on the way

Dubai: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged Iranian protesters to continue their demonstrations, promising that "help is on its way" without providing details.

The statement comes amid reports that nearly 2,000 people have been killed in a crackdown following weeks of anti-government protests in Iran.

According US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that 1,847 protesters, including 9 minors, have been killed in Iran since the demonstrations began on December 28. 

"Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP," the president posted on Truth Social.

On Monday, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said he'd been in touch with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and that communication channel remained open. But, Trump said that he has shut the lid on all prospects of meeting with Tehran until the crackdown on protestors stop.

Iran, meanwhile, eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday.

It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the death toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 2,000 people, according to activists.

Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press.

The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites.

While it remains unclear what "help is on its way" specifically means, the message marks a significant escalation in the already strained relations between Tehran and Washington. President Trump had previously stated that the US military is considering "very strong options" regarding Iran, which drew a sharp response from Iranian officials.

The unrest, sparked by dire economic conditions, has posed the biggest internal challenge to Iran's clerical rulers for at least three years and has come at a time of intensifying international pressure after Israeli and U.S. strikes last year.

An Iranian official said earlier on Tuesday that about 2,000 people had been killed in the protests, the first time authorities have acknowledged the high death toll from an intense crackdown on two weeks of nationwide unrest.

The Iranian official, speaking to Reuters, said that people he called terrorists were behind the deaths of both protesters and security personnel. The official, who declined to be named, did not give a breakdown of who had been killed.