Despite an almost complete communication blackout, a small number of Iranians have managed to send messages out of the country. They depict streets drenched in blood—and state that many protesters are placing their hopes on President Donald Trump carrying out his threats against Iran’s rulers.

“That’s all they’re focusing on,” stated a resident of Tehran’s Marzdaran neighborhood. 

Another resident from the capital’s wealthy Niavaran district stated that protesters view as their sole remaining choice. “People are aware they can’t overcome them without assistance,” they mentioned.

Just a few days ago, city streets were filled with demonstrators chanting for the government’s overthrow. Presently, as per residents and online-circulated phone videos, those same streets are being patrolled by trucks equipped with heavy machine guns.

“If Uncle doesn’t take action, it’s the end. They’ll just keep killing people until there’s nobody left,” the Niavaran district resident said, referring to Trump as “Uncle” due to concern that Iranian intelligence might be monitoring Starlink, the satellite internet service that bypasses the state’s blackout.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to fuel hopes. “Help is on the way,” the President posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, making the most explicit promise of intervention since Jan. 2., when he first warned Iran’s authorities against attacking Iranians. “Keep protesting – seize your institutions,” he stated, adding that those accountable would “face a hefty price.”

The post was reported on Persian-language satellite news channels, which have stayed accessible despite the internet blackout. “Literally 9 or 10 people called and said, ‘Great news—Trump said help is on the way,'” said a man who had left Iran on Wednesday.

“Everyone is waiting for an assault that will weaken the suppression system,” he stated. “If that occurs, the entire country will take to the streets again.”

He portrayed a capital where consumer goods had become scarce—it took two hours to find eggs—and residents had been told to be indoors by 4 p.m. “The city looks terrifying. After 3 or 4 pm, it’s empty.”

Iranians state that the enormous loss of life—with estimates indicating over 10,000 people killed—has kept many indoors. 

“Fear has returned,” said a resident of Yasuj, a city in southwestern Iran. “On Thursday night, they began firing into the crowds. I saw someone get shot right in front of me.” A resident of Tehran’s Yusefabad district said on Monday that the streets are now more deserted. “Most people are too scared to go out anymore.”

They claim the crackdown is mainly being carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia—forces that have quashed protests for decades. “They’re posted at every intersection,” said a woman from Tehran’s Yusefabad district. “It’s martial law. They’re firing into the air just to remind everyone they control the streets.”

The Guards and Basij started replacing regular police and their specialized anti-riot units on Jan. 8. It’s unclear whether the replacement was because police couldn’t suppress protests or reports of defections. In one case, a video surfaced from the western city of Abdanan, where local police were no longer on the streets but instead stood on their station roof waving at large protest crowds.

In Yasuj, the resident stated that police units disappeared from the streets following reports of defections. “But they all got arrested, the police have practically pulled out of the streets,” he said. There have been no eyewitness reports of police patrols in Iranian cities in recent days.

“Everyone is so agitated, so hopeless,” said the man in Marzdaran, a neighborhood in northwest Tehran. The bodies in the street aren’t strangers, he added. “Many people have lost a relative or close friend. They’re just killing, killing, killing.”

The accounts are backed by footage of security forces firing assault rifles into crowds, bursts from truck-mounted heavy machine guns in residential streets, and hundreds of bodies lined up in a morgue. “In Nourabad and Dehdasht… they’re still killing,” the Yasuj resident said, naming nearby smaller cities.

The communication blackout has intensified the feeling of isolation. Iranian authorities have shut down the internet during previous protests, but this time they also disconnected cell phone networks, SMS messaging, and landlines—isolating Iranians not just from the outside world but from each other. 

“If people in different cities could hear what others are doing, they might find encouragement from one another,” the Yasuj resident said. “But now they just feel completely alone.” 

Starlink remains the only way to break the internet blackout. Although illegal in Iran, satellite dishes were in during the last major protests. Today, tens of thousands are in use across the country, often spreading Wi-Fi signals throughout buildings or neighborhoods while hiding the signal’s source. Several activists confirmed on Tuesday that Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, has waived subscription fees and updated its software to avoid jamming.

Those able to send messages abroad may not be representative of all Iranians. Before the recent violence, polls indicated the regime could only rely on support from about 20 percent of the population. However, Iran is also highly nationalistic, and even among the remaining 80 percent, support for foreign military intervention has historically been uncertain. That hesitation was evident last June during Israel’s so-called 12-day war with Iran—while the strikes targeted military and nuclear sites, they also killed hundreds of civilians, sparking backlash and unease.

“This time is different,” the Yasuj resident insisted. “It’s a one-sided battle against a bloodthirsty regime. Many have pinned their hopes on Trump. And it’s understandable. If nothing, somehow, happens… it’ll be a disaster.”