Iran Ignores Trump: Murders Met with Warning Bells and Regime Hits Snooze
Since New Year’s Eve, Iran’s regime has murdered at least 18 innocent people (see below). These are not battlefield deaths, not acts of war, and not the result of foreign interference. They are targeted killings carried out by a frightened regime, against its own population. In 2025, Iran murdered (executed) an historic number of innocent people, over 2,200. The total figure stands at 120,000.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, Deputy Director of NCRI, Shahin Gobadi, member of NCRI Parliament in Exile, Shirin Nariman, former political prisoner in Iran, and NCRI’s Ali Safavi are available for interviews to discuss the potential of reaching the Iranian people’s breaking point.
On January 2, President Donald Trump warned on Truth Social that if Iran continued killing innocent people, the United States would “come to their rescue.” It was a statement heard clearly inside Iran—by the regime and by the people alike.
Yet since that warning, the killings have continued.
Most recently, regime security forces raided a hospital to arrest wounded civilians—individuals the state itself had injured and then placed under medical care. Even hospital beds are no longer safe. This is not law enforcement. It is state terror, carried out in full view of the world.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) welcomes President Trump’s expression of concern and moral clarity. It matters when the leader of the United States publicly acknowledges the Iranian people as victims rather than pawns. That recognition sends a signal to Tehran that its crimes are being watched—and to Iranians that they are not invisible.
But the NCRI is not calling for intervention, escalation, or outsiders to take over Iran’s fight.
NCRI represents Iranian People who want to do this themselves
Quite the opposite.
The Iranian people are already doing the heavy lifting. They have built underground networks, sustained nationwide resistance, endured imprisonment and execution, and continued to rise—despite overwhelming force. What they ask for now is not rescue, but restraint from interference and clarity of solidarity.
In plain terms: hold our beer.
Do not cut deals with our executioners. Do not legitimize a regime that raids hospitals and shoots protesters. Do not trade short-term diplomatic convenience for long-term bloodshed.
What the NCRI seeks is vocal support, public accountability, and international pressure that isolates the regime rather than the resistance. Statements matter. Silence empowers the killers. Recognition emboldens the people.
NCRI spokesmen are available to discuss the ongoing killings, the hospital raid, the regime’s fear of organized resistance, and what meaningful solidarity looks like in 2026—without foreign boots, bombs, or backroom bargains.
The Iranian people are not asking to be saved. They are asking the world not to stand in their way.
Speakers Available:
Alireza Jafarzadeh – Deputy Director of NCRI
Shahin Gobadi – Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Ali Safavi – Member of NCRI Parliament in Exile
Other Speakers Available:
Shirin Nariman – Former Political Prisoner in Iran
Related Article(s)
Optional Q&A
- How significant is it that Iran’s regime has continued killing civilians even after President Trump’s January 2 Truth Social warning?
- What does the hospital raid tell us about how far the regime is willing to go to suppress dissent?
- Why does the NCRI say these killings reflect fear of organized resistance rather than strength?
- What message do these actions send to ordinary Iranians who are already risking their lives?
- How are Iranians responding internally to the deaths of at least 18 people since New Year’s Eve?
- What kind of international response actually helps the Iranian people—and what actively harms them?
- Why is the NCRI asking for vocal solidarity rather than intervention or regime-managed reform?
- What would meaningful accountability for these killings look like if the world chose not to look away?
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has released the names of 10 more martyrs of the nationwide uprising who gave their lives for freedom. This brings the number of identified martyrs to 18. On Saturday, January 3, the criminal IRGC forces committed a savage crime in Malekshahi, Ilam province, opening fire on demonstrators and martyring or injuring many defenseless people. The names of four of these martyrs have been identified so far. Reports from Malekshahi Hospital indicate a critical shortage of blood for the wounded.
The list of the 18 honorable martyrs of the uprising is as follows:
1. Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, 37, from Fouladshahr (Isfahan), December 31, 2025
2. Amir Hesam Khodayari Fard, 26, from Kuhdasht (Lorestan), December 31, 2025
3. Sajjad Valamanesh Zilayi, 28, from Lordegan (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari), January 1, 2026
4. Ahmad Jalil, 21, from Lordegan (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari), January 1, 2026
5. Shayan Asadollahi, 30, from Azna (Lorestan), January 1, 2026
6. Mostafa Fallahi, 15, from Azna (Lorestan), January 1, 2026
7. Vahab Ghaedi (Mousavi), 30, from Azna (Lorestan), January 1, 2026
8. Khodadad Shirvani, 37, from Marvdasht (Fars), January 1, 2026
9. Ahmadreza Amani, 27, from Azna (Lorestan), January 1, 2026
10. Mansour Mokhtari, from Marvdasht (Fars), January 1, 2026
11. Ahad Ebrahim Pour Abdoli, 35, from Nurabad (Delfan, Lorestan), January 1, 2026
12. Ali Azizi Jafarabadi, 42, from Harsin (Kermanshah), January 2, 2026
13. Amir Hossein Bayati, 35, from Hamedan, January 2, 2026
14. Hossein Rabiei, from Qom, January 2, 2026
15. Mohammad Moghaddasi (Bazouneh), from Malekshahi (Ilam), January 3, 2026
16. Farez (Fars) Agha Mohammadi, from Malekshahi (Ilam), January 3, 2026
17. Mehdi Emami Pour, from Malekshahi (Ilam), January 3, 2026
18. Reza Azimzadeh, from Malekshahi (Ilam), January 3, 2026.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
4 January 2026
ABOUT ALIREZA JAFARZADEH…
Alireza Jafarzadeh serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). He is also the author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan, New York, 2008).
A recognized expert on Iranian policy, Jafarzadeh has been at the forefront of efforts to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. His groundbreaking work in 2002 and 2003 led to the discovery of key illicit nuclear sites in Iran, including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water plant, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations prompted the first-ever inspections of Iranian nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Jafarzadeh is a frequent guest on major television and radio networks, including CBS Evening News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and France 24. His insights have also been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Time, and The Hill.
ABOUT SHAHIN GOBADI…
Shahin Gobadi, a U.S.-educated nuclear engineer, is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
An astute observer of Iranian affairs for over three decades, Gobadi is an expert on topics including Iranian state-sponsored terrorism, proxy groups in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, Western policy toward Iran, and internal Iranian affairs.
He has been interviewed by major international media outlets, including CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky TV, GB News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Gobadi’s writings have appeared in prominent media across the U.S. and Europe.
ABOUT SHIRIN NARIMAN…
Shirin Nariman is a former political prisoner from Iran, human rights advocate, and entrepreneur.
At just 15 years old, during the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she became involved in pro-democracy activities and supported the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). Less than two years later, she was arrested for her activism—becoming one of the youngest political prisoners of her time and enduring severe torture in Evin Prison. Her case drew international attention and intervention from the Red Cross.
During her imprisonment, Shirin witnessed the regime’s brutality firsthand, including the executions of children, elderly women, and pregnant prisoners. After her release, she eventually sought refuge in the United States, where she has dedicated her life to advocating for human rights, women’s rights, and a free, democratic, non-nuclear Iran.
Shirin holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems and has worked with leading wireless and financial corporations.
ABOUT ALI SAFAVI…
Ali Safavi is a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile.
A sociologist by training, Safavi studied and taught at UCLA, California State University Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. He was an active participant in the anti-Shah student movement in the 1970s in the United States and has been deeply engaged in Iranian affairs ever since.
Safavi has lectured and written extensively on Iran, Iraq, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Middle Eastern politics. He has appeared in interviews on networks such as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, Sky TV, Newsmax, and France 24. His articles and commentary have been published in leading outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Boston Herald, The Washington Times, and The Financial Times.
This material is distributed by Special Guests Publicity LLC on behalf of National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) / Media Strategy Consulting LTD. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC. CONTACT: For further details or to arrange the interview, please contact Jerry McGlothlin at 919-437-0001 / Bookings@SpecialGuests.com
