Iran Protest: As Iranian authorities stepped up arrests following recent anti-government protests, an Iranian man reportedly died by suicide after posting a video online in which he appealed to US President Donald Trump not to strike a deal with Iran’s ruling clerics. The incident came at a time when Iran was tightening its grip on dissent while still signaling openness to talks with Washington.
In the video, the man warned that any agreement with Iran’s current leadership would ignore what he described as widespread violence against protestors. He also urged foreign powers to intervene against the country’s religious leadership.
Who Was Pouria Hamidi?
Iranian media identified the man as Pouria Hamidi, a resident of Bushehr, a port city in southern Iran. In the video, Hamidi said his main goal was to bring global attention back to what he described as a deadly crackdown on people protesting against the government.
He directly blamed Iran’s clerical leadership under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and called for international pressure and intervention.
Pouria Hamidi’s Final Video Message Goes Viral
Hamidi’s video, which was 10 minutes and 44 seconds long, was posted on his YouTube channel ‘PoorY X’ on February 5. The video quickly spread across social media platforms.
“If you’re watching this, then I’m not around anymore,” Hamidi said. He claimed that the scale of violence in Iran had been massive. “More than 40,000 people died, killed, massacred, more than the Russia-Ukraine war, and more than the Israel-Palestine war,” he said. Hamidi titled the video: “This Is My Sacrifice – Please, Free My Country”.
Pouria Hamidi, 28, from Bushehr, took his own life yesterday.
Why? Because President Trump decided to enter a nuclear negotiation with the regime in Iran, breaking everyone’s hopes and dreams, and rendering their sacrifices for nothing.
This is the real human cost of what the… pic.twitter.com/ST7vqyog0a
— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) February 8, 2026
Hamidi Warns Trump Against Any Deal With Tehran
Speaking in English, Hamidi addressed American leaders directly and urged them not to move forward with diplomatic agreements involving Iran’s current rulers. He said any such deal would come at the cost of innocent lives.
“So please, I beg you, do whatever you can to stop this deal,” he said. He also claimed that Trump had earlier encouraged Iranians to continue protesting. “He said that US President Trump had told the Iranians to ‘keep protesting, and we did, we trusted him.'” However, Hamidi said protestors were powerless against armed forces without outside help.
Hamidi Says Iranians Cannot Win Without External Support
Hamidi openly admitted that people inside Iran felt hopeless and exhausted. He described the emotional and physical toll of living under repression.
“You don’t know how hopeless our people are right now. I mean, I myself, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t even cry about it because it’s so laughable to be born in a place like this, to have no future.” He added that he had hoped the protests would finally change Iran’s future. “But I hoped the people of my country would finally have a future after all this.”
Hamidi Support for Reza Pahlavi and Call for Opposition Unity
Hamidi also voiced support for exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi, calling him “the best choice to make a transitional government.” He urged opposition groups outside Iran to set aside their differences. He asked them to “come together and stop fighting each other.”
Hamidi Final Words to Iranians Before His Death
Toward the end of the video, Hamidi switched from English to Persian. He said the purpose of making the video was to give meaning to his life and to encourage unity among Iranians.
“We people of Iran are lonely people and have nobody, so please support each other. Long live Iran,” he said, according to an Iran International report. Iranian media later reported that Hamidi took his own life after sharing the video.
Hamidi’s Death Comes Amid Dual Strategy by Tehran
Hamidi’s death happened as Iran intensified its crackdown following recent protests while also continuing indirect talks with the United States. Authorities have made fresh arrests, including Javad Emam, a spokesperson for the main reformist coalition.
These arrests followed talks between Iranian and US officials in Oman, which both sides described as positive.
In recent days, Iran also added more prison time to Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi and arrested Hossein Karoubi, the son of senior opposition leader Mehdi Karoubi.
Weeks after suppressing one of the strongest protest movements since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran appears to be following a two-track approach tightening control at home while keeping diplomatic channels with the Trump administration open.
