Sen. Ted Cruz urged the U.S. to provide arms to protesters in Iran immediately so they could "fight back" against a violent government crackdown. Iran has imposed a communications blackout amid demonstrations and, according to The Times, two officials say the death toll is about 3,000. President Trump has warned Tehran, pledged that "help is on its way," and deployed a "massive armada," while senior U.S. officials remain divided between diplomatic and military responses.
Ted Cruz Urges U.S. To Arm Iranian Protesters Immediately, Saying It Would Let Them "Fight Back"
Ted Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) urged the United States to provide weapons to protesters in Iran "right now," arguing that giving demonstrators the means to "fight back" would significantly alter the balance during the country's widespread unrest.
Theocratic authorities in Iran have instituted a near-total communications blackout, cutting phone and internet connections as demonstrators continue to take to the streets amid a violent and deadly crackdown. Despite restrictions, photos and videos circulating online show grieving families and rooms filled with rows of body bags. Two Iranian officials told The Times that the death toll had reached about 3,000, according to the reporting cited in Mediaite's coverage.
U.S. response and internal debate: President Donald Trump has publicly warned Iran against killing protesters, threatened the possible use of military force and posted on Truth Social urging "Iranian Patriots" to "KEEP PROTESTING," promising that "HELP IS ON ITS WAY." On Wednesday he wrote that he was sending a "massive armada" toward the region. Within the president’s circle, figures are divided: Vice President J.D. Vance has reportedly urged continued diplomatic engagement, while others such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have advocated more forceful measures and even suggested targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang relayed Cruz’s comments on Twitter after speaking with the senator. Cruz told Wang that the U.S. should supply arms to protesters "right now." "If the protesters had the ability to fight back, I think it would change the outcome significantly," he said, adding that within six months he believed "we could see the regimes fall in Iran, in Venezuela and in Cuba." Cruz also tweeted separately that the U.S. "should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW."
"For the Iranian people to overthrow the Ayatollah — a tyrant who routinely chants 'death to America' — would make America much, much safer," Cruz wrote.
Why this matters: Supplying weapons to civilian protesters would represent a major shift in U.S. policy and carries significant legal, ethical and strategic risks, including the possibility of escalating violence, complicating diplomatic efforts and drawing the United States more directly into a foreign internal conflict. The situation on the ground remains fluid and difficult to verify because of the communications blackout.
Mediaite first reported the story, which cited ABC News and reporting in The Times. Developments are ongoing and claims about casualties and specific actions should be treated as evolving information.
Help us improve.
