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Trump urged Iranians to continue protesting and remember those abusing them, saying help is on the way, as Iran's clerical establishment intensified its crackdown against the largest demonstrations in years.
"To all Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions, if possible, and save the names of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you," Trump posted on his Truth Social account Tuesday.
Trump warned that the abusers would "pay a very big price." He said he had "cancelled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protestors stops."
"All I say to them is help is on the way," Trump said, citing new tariffs on countries doing business with Iran.
"Make Iran great again. It was a great country until these monsters came in and took it over, and it's all very fragile," Trump said.
Iran accused Trump of encouraging political destabilization and inciting violence in response to his statements supporting the protesters.
Trump said Tuesday that no clear information exists on protester death tolls in Iran.
"Nobody has been able to give me an accurate number," Trump said during a Michigan car plant visit.
"Everything is a lot. One is a lot. But I have heard numbers much lower, and I have heard numbers much higher. We'll probably find out over the next 24 hours. I think it's a lot. It's too many," he said.
Trump said he would review casualty figures and then make a decision on Iran policy.
"I'm going to get a briefing when I get back to the White House. We're going to look at this very comprehensively. Really bad things are happening. When I see the deaths in Iran, Iran never leaves my mind. We're going to get exact numbers on what's happening there," Trump said.
Trump noted conflicting reports on death tolls.
"We're going to get exact numbers on the killings at these protests. The number of deaths seems serious, but we don't know exactly yet. Then we'll have to make a decision," he said.
Trump sent a message to Iran's leadership.
"My message is: I hope they don't kill those people. I think they're treating the protesters very badly," Trump said.
Asked if he wanted to see democracy in Iran, Trump responded, "Ideally, I would like to see that. But what we really want to see is that we don't want to see people killed, and we want to see some freedom for these people. These people have been living in hell for a long time," he said.
Trump warned of "very strong action" if Iran executes protesters.
"I haven't heard about the hanging. If they hang them, you're going to see some things. We will take very strong action if they do such a thing," Trump told CBS News.
Asked about his end goal for Iran, Trump said, "The endgame is to win. I like winning."
Trump discussed potential support for protesters.
"Well, there's a lot of help on the way, and in different forms, including economic help. We put Iran out of business with their nuclear capacity," Trump said, referring to U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June last year.
Trump emphasized the seriousness of mass killings.
"You know, if they want to have protests, that's one thing; when they start killing thousands of people, and now you're telling me about hanging, we'll see how that works out for them. It's not going to work out well," he said.
Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia are trying to convince the Trump administration to avoid a military strike on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Saudi Arabia is leading diplomatic efforts to dissuade the U.S. from intervening. Officials from Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar have warned the Trump administration that an attack would disrupt oil markets and harm the U.S. economy.
Gulf states worry an attack could disrupt oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and destabilize the region. Saudi officials said Riyadh guaranteed it would not participate in the conflict and would not allow U.S. forces to use Saudi airspace for attacks.
White House officials said Trump has not yet made a final decision on Iran. The president is consulting with advisers and reviewing options, including strikes on Iranian facilities, cyberattacks, new sanctions, and support for anti-regime social media accounts.
Protests began on Dec. 28 in Tehran's Grand Bazaar over currency depreciation and economic crisis. Demonstrations spread to cities across Iran. The internet was shut down nationwide on Jan. 9 as violence and police intervention escalated.
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