Trump in dangerous territory as he encourages Iran protesters, while criticising his own

By Michael Koziol January 14, 2026 — 3.47pm Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, as they say, which is certainly true for Donald Trump when it comes to protesters. Brave Iranians who took to the streets en masse again on Tuesday night, despite the great risk to their lives, are “patriots” to the US president, and he is encouraging them to keep up the fight . Iranians protest in Iran on Friday. Credit: AP Whereas Americans who protest the deportation of alleged criminal aliens are “domestic terrorists”, in the view of the Trump administration, whose deaths at the hands of ICE officers are unfortunate but justified. That is not to compare or liken the two sets of demonstrators, but simply to point out Trump lacks a principled approach to public protest. Which may prove costly to the thousands of Iranians protesting the Islamic terrorist regime if Trump ultimately decides to cut a deal rather than intervene militarily to try to fatally weaken it or cut off its head. As the regime brutally oppresses the uprising and reportedly prepares to hang dissidents, Trump has created moral culpability for himself by urging the demonstrators to keep fighting and indeed intensify their protest. “Take over your institutions if possible,” he advised while speaking at the Detroit Economic Club. “Save the names of the killers and the abusers ... they’ll pay a very big price. Help is on its way.” Credit: Marija Ercegovac That declaration from a US president ought to mean something. But what kind of help? In Detroit, Trump only mentioned the 25 per cent tariffs he has announced on any country still doing business with Iran. Still, as he and his press secretary have readily acknowledged, military options are also on the table. People close to Trump, like Republican senator Lindsey Graham, are publicly suggesting the president has a duty to strike. “The protesters go to the streets unarmed, risking their lives because they believe President Trump has their backs,” Graham wrote on X. “The tipping point of this long journey will be President Trump’s resolve.” Advertisement The son of the toppled shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, makes the same point. “Part of the reason they are still on the street fighting is they believe that this president is committed to do what he promised he will,” he told Fox News from the United States, where he lives in exile. Tehran-born Pahlavi, 65, would seek to return to lead Iran if the regime fell – though his level of support in the country is far from clear – so naturally he would encourage Trump to intervene. The president seems cognisant of this dilemma. His latest message was that he will decide on a course of action based on...

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