ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed Washington’s support for Iranian protesters, saying “help is on the way,” with Russia strongly condemning the remarks and warning of “harmful consequences” for the region, amid weeks of protests in Iran and an intensified government crackdown.

Mass anti-government demonstrations have engulfed Iran in recent weeks, prompting a heavy response from Iranian authorities, with over 650 protesters killed so far, according to confirmed figures by rights watchdogs, while the actual toll is feared to be much higher.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if the authorities kill peaceful protesters.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS,” Trump said in a post on is Trut social media account on Tuesday.

“HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” he said.

The comments followed his remarks on Sunday that Iran’s leaders “want to negotiate” and that a meeting was being arranged, while warning that Washington was considering “some very strong” options and could act before any talks take place.

Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown and imposed a nationwide internet shutdown since Thursday, now lasting more than 100 hours, while labelling protesters as “foreign agents” and “terrorist groups” and accusing them of links to the West.

Iranian authorities have dismissed Trump’s threats, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf recently warning that the US and Israel would be “legitimate targets” should Washington intervene militarily.

Russia, Iran’s main ally that has helped Tehran mitigate the impact of international sanctions, on Tuesday strongly condemned any foreign interference in Tehran amid Washington's threats.

“Threats from Washington to launch new military strikes on the territory of the Islamic Republic are categorically unacceptable,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Tuesday, warning of “harmful consequences” for the situation in the Middle East and the wider region.

She added that Moscow “strongly condemns the subversive foreign interference in Iran’s internal political processes,” while blaming the recent unrest in Iran on what she described as “illegal sanctions pressure.”

Iranian authorities were willing to negotiate with the US, she said, adding that Tehran sought to neutralise the negative socioeconomic consequences of what she described as the West’s “hostile policy.”

Nationwide demonstrations in Iran began on December 27 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where business owners and shopkeepers launched strikes and protests over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

The demonstrations later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state amid a surging current of anti-government sentiment.

Many international actors, including several Western countries, have condemned the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on protesters in recent days.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that he believed the world was witnessing “the final days and weeks” of the Islamic regime in Iran, adding that Berlin was in contact with international allies to “ensure that there can be a peaceful transition to a democratically legitimate government in Iran.”

Shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lashed out at Merz over his comments, telling Berlin to “have some shame,” in a post on X.

Araghchi accused Germany of “unlawful interference in our region,” including what he described as support for “genocide and terrorism.”