For nearly half a century, the Islamic Republic has taught Iranians that Israel and the United States were the source of their suffering. “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were pillars of a regime built on permanent confrontation with the so-called “Great Satan’ and “Little Satan.”
Flags of the two countries have been painted on the ground in Tehran previously as a deliberate mark for people to trample on. But the voices of ordinary Iranians on the streets, and the language of the regime, are two different things.
As the protests sweeping Iran have moved into their third week, with 2,000 people killed according to one Iranian official on Tuesday (although real estimates say the number is much higher) and the regime shows visible signs of strain, that entire worldview is collapsing in real time.
Across Iran, protesters are holding handwritten signs addressed not to the United Nations, not to European leaders, not to India’s Narendra Modi or France’s Emmanuel Macron, but to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. Streets are being renamed after Trump. Video messages circulate on social media appealing directly to Israel and the United States for help.
This is a political verdict by the Iranian people.
People are used to hearing statements of solidarity from world leaders, as is the norm across diplomatic circles when a tragedy occurs, or a government turns on its own people. But Iranians know different. They are appealing to those they believe actually have power and the will to use it.
That reality should give pause to policymakers in Jerusalem and Washington.
For years, Western governments insisted that Iranian society could be engaged through dialogue, reform, and pressure through financial sanctions. Yet when Iranians themselves are beaten, imprisoned, and brutally murdered as they stand in the streets, they do not look to Brussels or Paris. They look to the two actors the regime itself fears most.
That alone says everything.
The Islamic Republic has spent 47 years telling its people that Israel and America were their sworn enemies. Now, at the regime’s most vulnerable moment, it is those same “enemies” the people are calling for help.
For those who still call the demonstrations a financial matter due to the country’s dire economy, this should prove it is about more than that. The Iranian people are rejecting the regime’s ideological foundations.
That message has been amplified by Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has directly addressed Trump in recent days.
On Tuesday, Pahlavi wrote on social media, “President Trump is not Obama. His words of support for the protesters in Iran show that. Now is the time to act. The President is a man of action and a man of peace. Now, he can act to bring about the greatest peace the world has ever seen: by helping Iranians finally end this criminal regime.”
He followed with a blunt warning against renewed diplomacy, “Negotiating with this criminal regime who is still threatening America and the President will not bring peace. But immediate action to support these brave protesters will save thousands of lives and bring lasting peace to the region. That will be President Trump’s legacy.”
Contrast between regime propoganda and Iran's reality
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Pahlavi noted the contrast between regime propaganda and reality on the streets.
“While Khamenei and his thugs call for ‘Death to America,’ the Iranian people are renaming streets after you,” he told the US news channel. “They know you have their back and will not abandon them like Obama and Biden.
“After the fall of this terrorist regime, they will be your best partner for peace and prosperity. Help them liberate themselves.”
Whether one agrees with every word or not, the main point cannot be ignored. Iranian protesters are inviting Israel and the US, those two great enemies of the Islamic Republic, to come to their aid and bring the regime’s days to an end.
They have learned, through bitter experiences of protests in 2009, 2019, and 2022, that engagement without consequences only strengthens their oppressors.
Israel’s role in this moment is particularly delicate. For decades, the regime used Israel as a justification for repression at home and aggression abroad. It has funneled billions of Iranian dollars to proxy groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis in attempts to destroy the Jewish State. The two countries finally came to blows last June during the 12-Day War, in which Israel established its military supremacy over Iran. Today, many Iranians see Israel as one of the few players in the game that consistently treats the Islamic Republic as illegitimate.
Now the world has watched as it massacres its own people. Trump has threatened multiple times to come the protesters’ aid.
In recent days, discussions have been taking place in Washington regarding assisting protesters, with several options on the table, one source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“The spectrum ranges from a military option, namely strikes against regime targets, to cyber support against the regime, to providing Starlink systems to help protesters.”
Israel, meanwhile, has tried to distance itself from any antagonistic behavior towards the regime. It is directly in the line of fire should Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his supporters be so desperate they launch one final attack at Israel, so they have tried to play it smart. Military officials over the past few days have declared the protests an internal Iranian matter. But the people on the streets in Iran disagree.
The people are calling directly on the regime’s two biggest enemies for help. They have sent the invitation. It is up to Israel and the US to RSVP.