Iranian protesters rename Tehran street after Trump, plead 'don't let them kill us' amid crackdown

Iranian protesters intensified nationwide demonstrations over the past 24 hours, directly appealing to President Donald Trump while chanting anti-regime slogans. Footage published Wednesday showed a protester in Tehran symbolically renaming a street after Trump, while other videos captured handwritten appeals reading, "Don’t let them kill us," Iran International reported.

Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, posted the video on X stating, "Since Trump's comments about the Iran protests, I've seen numbers videos of Iranian protesters either thanking him or, in this case, renaming streets after the US president."

The appeals came as demonstrators faced a widening security crackdown, including the deployment of armed units and tear gas near major civilian sites in Tehran.

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Exiled Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi said the current unrest represents a historic opportunity to end Iran’s Islamic Republic.

"In all these years, I’ve never seen an opportunity as we see today in Iran," Pahlavi said in an interview aired Tuesday on "Hannity."

"Iranian people are more than ever committed to bringing an end to this regime, as the world has witnessed in the last few days, the level of demonstrations is unprecedented in Iran," he said.

Pahlavi said protests have spread to more than 100 cities and emphasized the role of Iran’s traditional merchant class, describing developments inside the country’s bazaars as a turning point. "We are beginning to see more and more defections," Pahlavi said, adding that "Either way, the regime is crumbling and is very close to collapsing."

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Over the past 24 hours, Iran International reported continued protests and strikes across the country, including in Tehran, Tabriz, Qazvin, Kermanshah, Kerman, Shiraz, Falavarjan and Bandar Abbas. Tehran’s Grand Bazaar remained a focal point of unrest, with large crowds chanting against Iran’s leadership as authorities responded with tear gas and armed deployments.

Security operations expanded into sensitive civilian locations. Videos published by Iran International showed tear gas used near or inside Tehran’s Sina Hospital and the Plasco Shopping Center.

Casualty and arrest figures continued to rise. The Human Rights Activists News Agency, cited by Iran International on Wednesday, reported at least 36 people killed since protests began, including 34 protesters and two members of Iran’s security forces, with more than 2,000 arrests nationwide. Iranian authorities have not released updated official figures.

New footage from the past day showed demonstrators lighting fires in the streets of Shiraz and chanting "Death to Khamenei," referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In Qazvin, protesters were heard chanting, "Law enforcement, return to the side of the nation."

Workers also joined the unrest, with strikes reported at the South Pars gas refinery and widespread shop closures at major markets in Tehran and Tabriz.