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Obama Failed to Support Iran’s Freedom Protesters Two Decades Ago, But Trump Just Rectified That
Years after he left office, a reflective Barack Obama admitted that he and his administration made a “mistake” in not forcefully supporting an Iranian civilian uprising in 2009 that could have ousted that country’s ruing mullahs. Faced with a fresh protest movement 16-plus years later led by street vendors, President Donald Trump has taken the opposite tact in a robust embrace of everyday Iranians that caught the attention of Tehran.
If Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote in a 3 a.m. post Friday on his TruthSocial platform. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Ali Safavi, a top leader of Iranian opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran, told Just the News that Trump’s comments Friday were a welcome departure from the tepid response Obama gave in 2009 and the continued inaction of the Biden administration as Iran began executing thousands of political prisoners and protesters the last five years.
“I think it was important,” Safavi said during an interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast. “In short, we welcome the firmest stance of the U.S. government against the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on innocent and unarmed people, as well as the efforts to hold the regime leaders accountable for their crimes.
Live Report: Day 7 Of Iran Uprising: Malekshahi Massacre Leaves Several Dead; People Defy Khamenei’s Threats with Nightly Protests
The nationwide uprising in Iran against the religious dictatorship entered its seventh consecutive day on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Despite the regime’s attempts to use a four-day holiday to quell the unrest, the protests have only intensified, spreading from Tehran to cities and provinces across the country. Following a volatile sixth day, where funerals of martyrs in Lorestan turned into mass demonstrations, the unrest continued well into Friday night and early Saturday. The regime’s suppressive forces, including the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and plainclothes agents, have resorted to live ammunition and tear gas.
Mahshad Kashani Re-Arrested in Isfahan’s Chaharbagh Amid Nationwide Protests
Mahshad Kashani, a university student and former political prisoner, was arrested on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, in the Chaharbagh area of Isfahan, according to social media reports. She had previously been detained in a separate case, and sentenced to imprisonment, but the date for the enforcement of her final verdict had not yet reached. As of the time of publication, no official information has been released regarding the arresting authority or her place of detention, leaving her legal status unclear. Her re-arrest coincides with a new wave of nationwide protests that began in in late December 2025.
Special Report: The Bloody Crackdown on the January 2026 Uprising
The nationwide uprising, which began on December 28, 2025, in response to absolute poverty and the systematic looting of public wealth, has once again exposed the true nature of the ruling regime in Iran to the world. The events of recent days prove that the religious dictatorship recognizes no moral or legal boundaries in its quest to retain power. The Iranian regime has demonstrated that instead of hearing the cries of hunger and the people’s demand for sovereignty, it responds only with the language of torture, repression, and lead. This regime is prepared to turn city streets into rivers of blood rather than yield to the most basic demands of the populace, as it views any concession as synonymous with its total collapse. Dariush Ansari, 37, was targeted by direct fire from regime mercenaries during the courageous protests in Fooladshahr on December 31.
Statements from Iranian Officials Follow Trump’s Message on Protests
In a post on his social media platform early Friday morning, Trump vowed that “if Iran [shoots] and violently kills peaceful protesters,” then the U.S. would step in and “rescue” them.The president did not specify by what means such a “rescue” would occur, but he added that the U.S is “locked and loaded and ready to go.” This message was issued after protests that had been ongoing for nearly a week reportedly turned deadly, with clashes between protesters and Iranian security forces resulting in several deaths, according to media reports. Following Trump’s statement, Iranian state-affiliated media reported heightened concern among government officials and security personnel.
UN Special Rapporteur Urges Iran’s Regime to Respect the Civil Rights of Protesters
Mai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, referring to the escalation of nationwide protests, called on officials of the Iranian regime to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to refrain from using violence against protesters. In a message posted on the social media platform X, Mai Sato said that over the past six days of nationwide protests in Iran, reports indicate an intensification of confrontations between protesters and security forces, a pattern that she said is spreading nationwide. Sato stated that she has received “concerning” reports indicating that at least eight protesters have been killed during these protests.
The Decisive Factor of Iran’s Uprising: Why Continuity Determines Victory
Today, the uprising for freedom and the removal of the clerical dictatorship has become Iran’s central and daily reality. What now determines the country’s future is not whether the uprising exists, but how it continues. The quality, depth, and persistence of this uprising will define whether it evolves into a transformative force or is fragmented by repression and engineered exhaustion. As the uprising moves beyond its first week, one lesson stands out with unmistakable clarity: its success depends on continuity. Sustained resistance is not merely a matter of endurance; it is the mechanism through which multiple decisive factors converge and reinforce one another. First, continuity cultivates collective hope and social solidarity among those present in the streets. A shared demand, sustained over time, transforms scattered anger into a unifying national will. This is precisely why the regime’s strategic “think tanks” remain constantly engaged in psychological operations aimed at discouragement, fatigue, and fragmentation. Vigilance against such manipulation is inseparable from the act of continuing the uprising itself.