An unexpected record in Persian-language social media belongs not to the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, but to an American political figure. The most-liked Persian-language tweet of all time comes from former President Donald Trump.

On January 11, 2020, Trump tweeted in Farsi, expressing his condolences to the “brave and suffering people of Iran” following the tragic downing of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 by Iranian regime forces. 

The commercial plane, carrying 176 passengers, was mistakenly shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all onboard. Iran later admitted to misidentifying the plane as a cruise missile, just hours after launching a ballistic missile attack on American bases in Iraq. Trump’s tweet, which received over 277,000 likes, came as protests erupted in Iran against the regime, with many calling for Supreme Leader Khamenei’s removal.

“I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you,” Trump pledged to the Iranian people.

This message resonated with many Iranian-Americans who now believe Trump’s firm stance against the regime might resurface if he wins re-election. 

According to Sarah Raviani, co-founder and spokesperson of a newly formed group called “Iranians for Trump,” the movement emerged because there was “no established coalition to represent the voices of the Iranian diaspora.”

“We support President Trump because he holds the Iranian regime accountable,” Raviani said, adding that the aggressive ‘maximum pressure’ Iran policy President Trump adopted in his first term helped keep the regime at bay.

During his first term, Trump imposed severe sanctions on Iran and labeled the country’s military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a terrorist organization. In January 2020, he also authorized a drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, a figure regarded as the second most powerful person in Iran, responsible for supporting regional militias like Hezbollah and Hamas.

For some in the movement, like Farnaz Murcray, a mother and real estate agent from California, Trump’s policies offer protection and hope for a safer America. “I joined Iranians for Trump because, as a mother, I want an America that is safe, peaceful, and prosperous,” she said, adding that the Democratic Party’s policies have emboldened the Iranian regime through “appeasement” measures like sanctions relief and the release of billions of dollars, which she believes fund global terrorism.

Nasim Behrouz, co-founder and Persian-language spokesperson for the group, shares a similar sentiment, condemning the Biden-Harris administration’s approach to Iran as naive and weak. 

“President Biden and Vice President Harris don’t understand the regime in Iran,” said Behrouz, noting that both the Obama and Biden administrations pursued diplomacy with Iran, hoping for a behavioral change that never came. “We’ve seen very weak leadership over the last four years – weak leadership and appeasement that ended up only enriching the regime,” she added.

Behrouz and others argue that only a tough stance can contain the Islamic Republic. The National Union for Democracy in Iran, a D.C.-based non-profit, supports this view, suggesting that the regime only responds to force. During the Obama and Biden administrations, Iran’s military spending, nuclear advancements, and executions reportedly increased. In 2023 alone, the regime carried out 838 executions, the highest in nearly a decade.

Looking ahead to the November 2024 election, Raviani fears that a Kamala Harris presidency would lead to more damaging concessions to Tehran. She criticizes Harris’s national security advisor, Philip Gordon, for advocating negotiations rather than regime change, labeling this strategy as appeasement. Raviani, along with others in the movement, hopes for a Trump comeback, believing that his return to the White House would bring renewed pressure on the Iranian government.

With heightened tensions, Tehran’s attempts to disrupt Trump’s campaign have escalated, including an alleged hack on Trump’s team in August and reports of an assassination plot against the former president just a month prior.