Trump administration watches over Iran protests
“The protests are serious, and we will continue to monitor them,” an anonymous senior US official said, emphasizing Washington’s attention to the situation. Earlier this week, the administration had assessed that the demonstrations, which began in late December, lacked the momentum to overthrow the government. That evaluation is now being reconsidered as the protests have grown.
The unrest in Iran began on Dec. 28 near Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and has since spread to multiple cities, driven by the steep decline in the value of the rial and worsening economic conditions. Internet access in the country has reportedly been cut for more than 12 hours.
Official casualty figures from Iranian authorities have not been released. However, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 2,277 people have been arrested, dozens injured, and 42 killed, including eight security personnel.
Iran has accused the United States and Israel of instigating the unrest, warning that security forces and the judiciary “will show no tolerance whatsoever toward saboteurs.”
US President Donald Trump previously warned that Washington would intervene if Iranian authorities used lethal force against peaceful protesters, stating: “If Iran violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the US will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Later, Trump acknowledged that some deaths may have been caused by crowd-control issues and stampedes, while noting that he is monitoring the demonstrations very closely due to the large scale of the crowds.
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