'Help is on its way': Trump encourages Iran protests

US President Donald Trump sharply escalated pressure on Iran, urging protesters late on Monday to continue demonstrating saying "help is on its way", and threatening sweeping trade penalties on countries doing business with Tehran and keeping military action firmly on the table.

US President, who said Iranian official had approached for talks, cancelled the meetings, as a US-based rights group said that at least 1,850 protesters has been killed in more than two weeks of demonstrations. in Iran, an official put the death toll at about 2,000 people.

In posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump addressed what he called "Iranian patriots", telling them to "KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS", while saying "help is on its way", without clarifying whether that assistance would involve direct US intervention.

Trump said he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until what he described as the "senseless killing" of protesters stopped, adding that Tehran had crossed his red line and that Washington might have to act before any talks could take place.

He announced a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran, warning the measure would apply to "any and all business" with the United States and calling the order "final and conclusive", a move targeting key Iranian partners including China, Turkey, Iraq and others.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said air strikes were among many options available to Trump, stressing diplomacy remained the first choice, even as Tehran maintained private contacts with US special envoy Steve Witkoff despite the absence of formal relations.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused foreign powers of backing the unrest. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed communication channels with the US remained open, saying Tehran was studying Washington's proposals.

Meanwhile, protests raged across the country. An Iranian official told Reuters that about 2,000 people, including civilians and security personnel, had been killed during the unrest, which authorities blame on "terrorists".

Rights groups however, reported hundreds of protester deaths since demonstrations erupted in late December. Norway-based Iran Human Rights said at least 648 people, including nine minors, had been killed. Some estimates exceeds 6,000 deaths and around 10,000 arrests.

Iranian authorities sought to project control by staging pro-government rallies nationwide, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf saying Iran faced economic, psychological and military pressure, as activists reported a near-total internet shutdown.

International pressure also intensified as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said additional sanctions were under discussion, while Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Finland and Spain summoned Iranian ambassadors over what they called excessive and brutal repression.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran's leadership appeared to be living its "final days and weeks" if it relied solely on violence, as France confirmed non-essential embassy staff had left and the UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was "horrified" by the bloodshed.

China condemned what it called illicit unilateral sanctions, warning tariff wars had no winners and vowing to protect its interests, while Russia cautioned against external interference and Qatar warned any US-Iran military escalation would have catastrophic regional consequences.

Despite Tehran's insistence that order is being restored, the combination of rising death tolls, economic pressure, diplomatic isolation and Trump's increasingly confrontational posture has left Iran facing one of the most severe political crises in decades.