{"id":2653728,"date":"2026-09-02T17:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-says-iranians-wont-rise-up-because-theyre-being-shot\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T17:11:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T21:11:53","slug":"trump-says-iranians-wont-rise-up-because-theyre-being-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-says-iranians-wont-rise-up-because-theyre-being-shot\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Iranians won&#8217;t rise up because &#8216;they&#8217;re being shot&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-says-iranians-wont-rise-up-because-theyre-being-shot%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2653728&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about the Iranian public&#8217;s ability to oppose their government due to widespread violence but did not commit to actively supporting dissident groups. He highlighted the brutal crackdown on protests in Iran, which resulted in approximately 65,000 deaths, and indicated that recent protests were suppressed by government forces, making revolt unlikely at this time.Trump also announced that he launched Operation Epic Fury in response to the protests, targeting Iranian leadership and military infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>he emphasized that Iran&#8217;s regime is weakening under pressure from economic hardship and political instability, believing that internal dissent will eventually lead to change. trump criticized ongoing negotiations with Iran, suggesting that the country is on the verge of implosion and that the U.S. prefers to wait for that outcome rather than pursue new agreements.<\/p>\n<p>Experts differ on Iran&#8217;s prospects for internal upheaval.Ali Safavi sees the situation as explosive, driven by economic hardship and political repression, while others like alan Eyre believe that external regime change is unlikely and that most Iranians do not want chaos. Some U.S. politicians, such as Senator Ted Cruz, advocate for arming Iranian protesters and dissident forces to accelerate regime change. the White House is relying on internal unrest and economic decline to weaken Iran&#8217;s government rather than direct intervention.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump does not believe the Iranian public is currently capable of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4709061\/trump-iranians-rise-up-and-fight-war\/\">rising up against their government<\/a> due to overwhelming violence, but he would not say if he would materially assist dissident groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the president told reporters that it \u201cwouldn\u2019t be appropriate to say\u201d whether U.S. intelligence personnel would materially aid Iranian protesters. He expressed empathy for the citizens, saying his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/117198788283772326\">Tuesday night Truth Social post <\/a>questioning \u201cwhen are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?\u201d was rhetorical.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4709650\/trump-iranians-will-not-rise-up-being-shot\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says Iranians won\u2019t rise up because \u2018they\u2019re being shot\u2019 and refuses to say if CIA would aid protesters<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4708454\/keir-starmer-parliament-international-affairs-greens\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Starmer steps down from Parliament to seek opportunities in \u2018international affairs,\u2019 with Greens eager to snatch his seat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4708156\/germany-retaliation-russian-leipzig-airport-drone\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Germany issues retaliatory measures against Russia after Leipzig airport incursion<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI understand their plight, they\u2019re being shot,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWhen I ask that question, I ask it sort of knowing the answer. The only answer is that they\u2019re being shot.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He asserted that close to 65,000 protesters have been killed following the attempted uprising that took place in December 2025 and January, which saw the mass mobilization of citizens into the Iranian streets. It was these protests that inspired Trump to promise Iranians that \u201chelp is on the way.\u201d He eventually launched Operation Epic Fury, the large-scale assault on Iranian leadership and military infrastructure, in February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a crackdown from the government and military <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran-protests\">quashed the protests<\/a> before the United States began its operations. Thousands of demonstrators were gunned down in the streets, and many more have been arrested and executed in the months since.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s not happening \u2014 and who can blame them?\u201d Trump said Wednesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with travel executives, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington as from rear left, Chair of the Los Angeles 28 Olympics Casey Wasserman, Andrew Giuliani, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Travel Association President and CEO Jeff Freeman and CEO of MGM Resorts Bill Hornbuckle, rear right, look on. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/AP26245663502811.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House during a meeting with travel executives, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday night, Trump said via social media that he is \u201cnot trying to force Iran to the bargaining table\u201d but is instead simply waiting for the country to implode.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI couldn\u2019t care less if [Iranian officials] sign a worthless, to them, agreement,\u201d Trump said on Truth Social. \u201cI like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This posture against any further negotiations was echoed by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/a> in a Wednesday interview on <em>The Brian Kilmeade Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked about reports that Tehran is open to revisiting the lapsed memorandum of understanding that failed to establish peace in the region earlier this year, Rubio said, \u201cThat ship, in many ways, has sailed \u2014 no pun intended with regards to the straits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the president acknowledging the threat of violence suppressing popular discontent, the White House seems to be banking on hopes that economic despair and political instability will be enough to jolt Iranians back into the streets and topple Tehran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe regime is getting weaker and weaker by the day, and at some point, they\u2019re not going to be able to shoot [dissidents] so easily because the people aren\u2019t going to take it,\u201d Trump said Wednesday in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran\u2019s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/09\/localimages\/AP26010510295624_f9388b.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran\u2019s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ali Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that \u201cthe overthrow of the regime is tied to the convergence of two essential factors: a popular uprising and an organized resistance movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIranian society is in an explosive state,\u201d Safavi said. \u201cAll the underlying causes and conditions that produced the January uprising remain firmly in place and, indeed, have become more acute: economic hardship, inflation, unemployment, corruption, political repression, and, above all, the Iranian people\u2019s profound rejection of the existing political order.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Eyre, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that he is not convinced the Iranian public is the powder keg many hope it to be.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe brutal truth is the U.S. can\u2019t do regime change from outside,\u201d Eyre said. \u201cThere are currently many brave people opposing the Iranian regime both inside and outside Iran, but there is no effective Iranian opposition movement. Opposition movements need organization and time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eyre told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that while there is widespread discontent with the officials in Tehran, there is also massive skepticism toward a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/29089\/cia-pushes-counter-narrative-of-the-1953-iran-coup\/\">U.S.-backed coup<\/a> that would likely collapse the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne shouldn\u2019t confuse the desire of many if not most Iranians for a more competent and less corrupt regime with a desire to see Iranian society collapse and have Iran become a near-failed state,\u201d Eyre said. \u201cThe most likely alternative to the current regime isn\u2019t a caring and competent pro-Western regime, it is chaos, and I don\u2019t know how many Iranians want that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has urged Trump to furnish weapons for dissident forces in Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4709483\/us-iran-missile-hit-wedding-strike-war\/\">US \u2018LOOKING INTO\u2019 REPORTS FROM IRANIAN STATE MEDIA THAT US MISSILE HIT WEDDING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been urging is for President Trump \u2026 to arm the protesters, the people of Iran,\u201d Cruz <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.turkiyetoday.com\/region\/us-sen-cruz-urges-trump-to-arm-iranian-protesters-kurdish-groups-for-regime-change-3227143\">said<\/a> last month during an interview on <em>Meet the Press<\/em>. \u201cArm the Kurds and let the protesters remove this regime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz said it is \u201cnot fair to expect an Iranian protester standing with a rock to face soldiers carrying machine guns.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump doubts Iranians can rise up now, won&#8217;t confirm aid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2653729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26245663502811.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[3823,3970,3634],"class_list":["post-2653728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-iran","tag-protests","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26245663502811.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653728"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2653731,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653728\/revisions\/2653731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}