Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow the government and religious regime to bring about a major change, offering immunity to Iranian officials who surrender their weapons.
On 28 Feb 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a video statement urging the Iranian people to use the opportunity presented by a recent major attack in the country to topple the government under the religious regime. He said that after the U.S. finishes its intervention, Iranians should overthrow their government, noting this could be the only chance for generational change.
At the same time, Trump addressed members of Iran's security forces, saying those who lay down their arms would be granted immunity, but those who refuse would certainly face death.
Earlier, in early January, Trump had threatened to bomb Iran as its security forces suppressed anti-government protests nationwide, which human rights activists reported resulted in at least 6,480 deaths. Trump warned those involved they would pay a high price and told protesters that help was on the way.
However, a few days later, Trump stated he had received assurances from the Iranian government that the killings had stopped, before shifting his focus to Iran's nuclear program, a long-standing contentious issue between Iran and Western countries.
Source: BBC