‘Trump is a bully who doesn’t care about the people of Iran – but they still want him to step in’

Read time: 3 mins

In brief…

• Donald Trump has said he hopes to “make a deal” with Iran, two weeks after promising military action over civilian deaths in nationwide protests – now believed to be in the tens of thousands.
• Iranian activist Negin Shiraghaei tells The News Agents the people of Iran don’t believe Trump is concerned with democracy in their country, but would accept the help of a “bully” if it helped overthrow the Islamic Republic.
• Shiraghaei says she believes Trump’s interest in Iran is only due to its oil reserves, and his only concern is keeping it flowing out of the country and into the US.

What’s the story?

It has been two weeks since Donald Trump said America would step in if more people in Iran were killed by government forces.

Estimates suggest around 30,000 people may have died in protests against the Islamic Republic and its government in the country – and America remains on standby.

Trump has said a “beautiful Armada” is on its way towards Iran, and that he hopes the country “makes a deal” – seen by some as yet another veiled threat of military action.

“Between the lines there is a message to the Iranian government – and that's what scares me most,” Iranian activist Negin Shiraghaei, tells The News Agents.

"His aim is making a nuclear deal, making sure that he's getting what he wants, probably financially, in regards to the Iranian Islamic Republic's activity in the region."

What motivates Trump in this situation may be the source of speculation, but Shiraghaei believes one thing is for certain – he is not driven by a sense of concern for the people of Iran.

"It's not about democracy and it's not about the people of Iran, and everyone knows that," she says.

"But for people inside the country, there is still a glimmer of hope that some sort of help should come from outside to help stop the killing."

Why the people of Iran still want US intervention

Protests began in December 2025, and after escalating across the country, have led to a near-total internet blackout across Iran – which is why the death toll in the country has been impossible to verify.

Shiraghaei says people inside Iran feel "helpless" – and are so desperate for international help that they would welcome US intervention, even if their liberation was only a by-product of him getting what he wants.

"There is no help coming from anywhere, and this government is trying to kill us," she says.

"They will continue until there is no opposition inside the country.

"So if there is someone, even a bully – who doesn't care about us, but might do something that as a side effect we would benefit from – then let them do that."

She says the brutality meted out by the Islamic Republic suggests it knows it is on its "last leg of survival".

"They're saying the killing is justified and they have to kill people," she adds.

"For them, it's a moment when they have to cling to power.

"They're going to continue fighting until the end."

What could Trump possibly want from Iran?

Trump says he wants to remove Iran's nuclear capabilities – having previously bombed three sites in July 2025 to aid Israel in achieving this goal.

But Shiraghaei believes his true intention is far more similar to what he wants from Greenland – or has already taken from Venezuela.

"We are really rich in oil and minerals, so it's a country that has been in a battleground of powerful forces," she says.

"For Trump, it was obvious from the beginning that this is about what he can gain from any given situation for himself and for the US.

"So in that scenario, there is nothing for him to gain from a democratic Iran. There are a lot of things to gain, in making sure that the flow of the oil continues."

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.