Iranian protesters issued a direct appeal to President Donald Trump on Tuesday as nationwide unrest entered its tenth day, with resistance groups reporting expanding demonstrations and increasingly aggressive crackdowns by regime security forces.
The appeal circulated on X showed a woman holding a sign reading:
“Trump, a symbol of peace. Don’t let them kill us.”
The message was shared amid mounting reports of casualties and mass detentions.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 29 people have been killed and more than 1,200 protesters arrested as Iranian authorities escalate their response.
HRANA also reported the use of pellet guns, tear gas, and direct assaults against demonstrators.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said protests intensified in parts of western Iran, claiming the cities of Abdanan and Malekshahi were effectively overrun by demonstrators.
“Today there was a major development in two cities in Western Iran that have been effectively taken over and people are actually celebrating in the streets,” NCRI member Ali Safavi said.
“They were chanting, ‘Death to Khamenei!’”
Safavi said that despite the regime’s efforts to suppress the uprising, “the fear factor seems to have shifted because people have made the suppressive forces flee.”
NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi praised protesters in a post on X, saluting demonstrators in Malakshahi and Abdanan who she said “drove the regime’s enforcers into retreat.”
Demonstrations, student protests, strikes, and large street gatherings have been reported across multiple provinces and urban centers.
In Ilam province, witnesses and rights groups reported that authorities fired tear gas inside Imam Khomeini Hospital while attempting to detain wounded protesters transferred from nearby areas.
Amnesty International said Tuesday:
“The Iranian security forces’ attack on a hospital in Ilam, where injured protesters are seeking medical care or shelter, violates international law.”
Similar reports emerged from Tehran, where security forces were reportedly seen entering Sina Hospital, prompting fear among families and patients.
The unrest, which began as labor and merchant protests driven by currency collapse and inflation, has since expanded into broader anti-government demonstrations.
Portions of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and commercial districts in Mashhad were reported to be partially or fully closed.
“What makes the 2025 protests different from before is that the knife has reached the bone for Iranian citizens,” Safavi said.
“People feel they have nothing anymore and have reached a breaking point.”
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians to join nationwide protest chants on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi on Tuesday issued his first call for protests, urging people across Iran to chant slogans at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.pic.twitter.com/JhOkzsy7Ay
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) January 6, 2026
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) warned Tehran’s leadership that violent crackdowns could trigger consequences, writing that regime leaders act “at their own peril.”
His warning followed recent remarks from President Trump, who wrote on Truth Social that the United States was “locked and loaded and ready to go,” as protests continue to spread.
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