Merve Aydogan
13 January 2026•Update: 14 January 2026
HAMILTON, Canada
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no clear information is available on how many protesters have been killed in Iran amid nationwide unrest.
Asked how many protesters have been killed, Trump said: "Nobody has been able to give me an accurate number."
"Everything is a lot. One is a lot. But I have heard numbers much lower, 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 during a trip to a car plant in Michigan.
When asked what kind of aid would be provided to protesters after he earlier said “help is on the way," Trump stated: "You're gonna have to figure that one out, I'm sorry."
In earlier remarks on Tuesday, Trump once again encouraged the protesters, saying: "To all Iranian patriots, keep protesting, take over your institutions, if possible, and save the name of the killers and the abusers that are abusing you."
Warning that the "abusers" of Iranian protestors will "pay a very big price," the US president said he had "cancelled all meetings with the Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protestors stops."
"All I say to them (protestors) is help is on its way," he said, citing the latest tariffs he applied on countries doing business with Iran.
He added, "Make Iran great again," saying that it "was a great country until these monsters came in and took it over, and it's all very fragile."
Iran’s parliament speaker warned on Sunday that Israel, the US military and shipping centers would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington launches a military attack on Tehran.
Addressing Trump from the parliamentary podium, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, “Within the framework of legitimate defense, we do not limit ourselves to responding only after an action. In the event of a US military attack, both the occupied territories (Israel) and US military and shipping centers will be legitimate targets for us.”
Trump downplayed threats of retaliation to an attack, telling reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that Tehran made similar warnings before he attacked their nuclear program in June.
"Iran said that the last time I blew him up with the nuclear capability, which they don't have any longer. So, Iran said that the last time. They better behave," he said.
Iran has been rocked by widespread protests in recent weeks amid a deteriorating economy and the rapid depreciation of the Iranian currency, the rial.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based group, estimates a death toll of at least 646, including both security forces and protesters, with over 1,000 injured.
*Michael Hernandez contributed to this report from Washington
