Iran protests: Trump shares video claiming Mashhad, 2nd-largest city, under protesters' control

ANKARA

US President Donald Trump shared a video on the Truth Social platform about the countrywide protests in Iran, claiming that protesters control the second-largest Iranian city, Mashhad.

Trump reposted a video from Israel's Channel 13 television, captioning it with: "More than one million people demonstrated: Iran's second-largest city has fallen under protesters' control, regime forces have left the city."

Mashhad, with a population of around 4 million and located near the borders with Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, is also home to the holy shrine of Imam Reza, a major pilgrimage site.

The video's claim of over one million protesters taking control of Mashhad appears unverified, as independent reports do not support security forces fully leaving, or the city falling to protesters.

Trump previously suggested on Truth Social that the US would intervene if Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, stating: "If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the US will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go."

Later, in comments reported on Jan. 8, Trump attributed some of the deaths during the protests to problems of crowd control and stampedes.

He said: "Well, some were killed because of, you know, crowd control issues and other things. I don't know."

Trump added that he was monitoring the situation very closely, noting the large size of the crowds.

He continued: "There was a stampede. There were three stampedes and people died, and I'm not sure I can necessarily hold anyone responsible for that."

These remarks referred to incidents amid the ongoing unrest, including protester deaths during the demonstrations.

No official Iranian statement has been issued on the number of deaths or injuries, including among protesters.

Tasnim News Agency, which is close to Iran's security establishment, reported that 568 police officers and 66 Basij militia members have been injured during the protests.

However, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on the 12th day of the protests that 42 people had been killed, including 8 security personnel, with dozens injured and 2,277 arrested.

The protests began on Dec. 28, 2025, when shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar protested the sharp depreciation of the local currency against foreign exchange rates and broader economic problems. The demonstrations quickly spread to numerous cities across the country.

Internet restrictions, including slowed internet speeds, localized blackouts in protest cities, and near-nationwide disruptions, have been ongoing since late December 2025.

Despite the cuts, footage and updates still reach the outside world through circumvention tools such as proxy servers, or delayed uploads by individuals inside and outside Iran.

The protests have been met primarily by Iran's regular police (FARAJA) and the Basij paramilitary militia, which operates under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These forces have led most crowd control efforts, with the IRGC stepping in directly in some instances.