An Iranian man from the southern port city of Bushehr has reportedly died by suicide after publishing a video message in which he urged US President Donald Trump and Western governments to halt diplomatic engagement with Iran’s ruling establishment, according to opposition-linked media outlets and regional publications, including Iran International.
The man, identified by Iranian media and activists as Pouria Hamidi, recorded an approximately 10-minute video in English that gained widespread attention over the weekend. In the video, he appealed directly to US leaders, accusing Iranian authorities of violently suppressing recent protests and calling for foreign intervention against the country’s leadership.
At the beginning of the recording, Hamidi said, “If you’re watching this, then I’m not around any more,” explaining that he was speaking to highlight what he described as a massacre during recent unrest. “More than 40,000 people died, killed, massacred. More than Russia and Ukraine and more than Israel and Palestine,” he said.
The protests, which took place in January, were reportedly met with heavy force by the clerical regime of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports suggest that thousands of people, including women and children, were killed during the crackdown.
In his message, Hamidi called on Washington to abandon negotiations with Tehran, arguing that any diplomatic agreement would undermine the victims of the protests. “So please,” he said. “I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal.” He added that any agreement would “betray all those people who died.”
Referring to past statements by the US President, Hamidi said that Trump had encouraged Iranians to protest. “Keep protesting, and we did, we trusted him,” he said. He also stated that ordinary citizens were unable to confront armed forces and could not defeat the Islamic regime on their own.
“America attacking Iran is the only hope we have right now. We can't fight this regime alone. Our people need foreign intervention,” he said.
The video included strong criticism of Iran’s religious leadership and expressions of support for exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, whom Hamidi called “the best choice to make a transitional government.” He also urged opposition groups outside Iran to “come together and stop fighting each other.”
Describing the emotional toll of the situation, Hamidi said Iranians were living without hope. “You don't know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can't eat. I can't sleep,” he said. “I can't even cry about it because it's so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future. But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this.”
He said the recording was meant to give meaning to his life and appealed for unity among Iranians. In the final moments of the video, he switched to Persian and said, “We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran.”
According to Iran International, Hamidi took his own life shortly after releasing the video, though the claim has not been independently verified.
The incident comes at a time when Iranian authorities appear to have brought widespread protests under control following a violent crackdown. A Reuters report has estimated that at least 5,000 people were killed during the unrest.