Trump says Iranians approve being bombed by the United States
President Donald Trump believes that his military campaign in Iran is favored by the Iranian people. Anecdotes of civilians protesting the war and lamenting the destruction of their infrastructure say otherwise.
“You’ve said Iranians would be mad if you stopped these attacks. But why would they want you to blow up their infrastructure to cut off their power? Wouldn’t that be punishing Iranians for the actions of the regime?” A White House correspondent asked Trump during the latest press briefing.
Trump replied, “They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom. The Iranians, we’ve had numerous intercepts of ‘Please keep bombing’ bombs that are dropping near their homes.”
Remarkably, Trump also claimed that Iranians beg, “Please, come back,” whenever United States forces stop the bombings. The president continued to say that Iran is “a horrible and violent world where, if you protest, you are shot.”
It’s an ironic statement from Trump, considering that two American protesters were shot during a rally against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota. Although both protesters posed no threat, Trump’s former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused them of “domestic terrorism.”
Crackdowns on democratic protest don’t just happen in Iran. Although the civilian harm is arguably worse off in Iran, the United States has no moral ascendancy to police another sovereign state—especially not when the Trump administration has employed violence against protesters.
Iranians bemoan US bombings in their country
Throughout the month-long war, the Trump administration has been arguing that bombing Iran and ousting the current regime would liberate the civilians. Prior to the war, Iranians had been protesting their repressive government. Many have been killed by the government. Even athletes competing for the country risk execution for presenting opposition against the regime.
Nevertheless, it doesn’t give Trump a moral victory to viciously bomb a country of 93 million with impunity. What the Trump administration does is to merely turn civilians into battering rams for what they want to achieve in the war—for which, to this day, no clear justification has been given. Not all Iranians approve of this bombing, and many don’t see liberation in the shape of bombs.
Iranian musician Ali Ghamsari plays the tar near the Damavand power plant to protest the US threat against the civilian infrastructure. Despite having clashed with the Iranian government as a critic, Ghamsari does not want the United States to see the destruction of his country.
When the B1 Bridge was bombed, Iranian engineers mourned their project. The fruit of their labor for two whole years had been destroyed by American forces in three hours. At least eight civilians were killed in the attack. The BBC reported on a woman who cried about the destruction of the bridge and who said she feels “helpless” about the situation.
It can be said that these are anecdotes and that perhaps there are still pro-war Iranians who support the US efforts of a regime change. Especially with the country’s repressive regime, it would be understandable that they’d look to any form of hope to change the leadership. But even a portion of those who had initially supported the attack by the United States have turned and now feel “doomed” by the intervention.
With no signs of de-escalation in sight, it’s difficult to foresee what fate awaits Iranians. With Trump’s threat of further bombing hanging above their heads, the future ahead isn’t looking bright.
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