Western Leaders Crank Up Pressure On Iran Amid Crackdown On Protesters
Iran has entered a 14th night of protests as authorities seemed to be intensifying their crackdown and Western leaders -- including US President Donald Trump -- stepped up pressure on Tehran.
Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House on January 9, Trump said that "Iran is in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago."
"We're watching the situation very carefully. I've made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts. That does not mean boots on the ground, but it does mean hitting them very, very hard where it hurts."
This was followed up by a short post on X by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 10, stating that the United States “supports the brave people of Iran.”
The protests, which began on Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28, quickly snowballed, spreading to dozens of towns and cities.
By the evening of January 8, videos poured in from nearly every corner of the country showing huge crowds chanting and marching.
Authorities first throttled nationwide Internet speeds before enforcing a near-total blackout at 10:15 p.m. local time on January 8, severing phone lines too.
With the blackout now lasting more than 40 hours there is no precise information about the number of people killed, injured, or detained across the country with widespread fears that the cut is being used to hide state violence against protesters.
Amnesty International released a statement on January saying that it was investigating "distressing reports that security forces have intensified their unlawful use of lethal force against protesters" which has “led to further deaths and injuries.”
There have also been media reports, including by AFP, that hundreds of people had been taken to a Tehran hospital with “severe eye injuries” caused by pellet gun fire.
The Human Rights News Agency (HRANA), which covers human rights-related news, has reported that at least 2,311 people were arrested in the first 13 days of the protests and that demonstrations were reported in 512 locations across 180 towns and cities amid a near-total Internet shutdown. Additionally, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights has said that 51 protesters have been killed as of January 9.
In a joint statement issued on January 9, the leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom expressed “deep concern about reports of violence by Iranian security forces, and strongly condemn the killing of protestors.”
The text also added that the Internet blackout "has sparked fears among activists that authorities are now violently cracking down on the protests, with less chance the proof will reach the outside world."
An EU statement issued on the same day also called for “the right of access to information, including by restoring access to the Internet for all” while expressing “solidarity with the Iranian people as they voice their legitimate aspiration for a better life, freedom and dignity.”
Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose father -- Iran's last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi -- was ousted by the Islamic Revolution in 1979, issued a message of support on social media for the protesters, telling them that they have “won the admiration of the world with your courage and steadfastness” while announcing that he was planning to return to Iran in the near future.
Protesters came out in force on January 8 and January 9 night following calls by Reza Pahlavi for sustained street demonstrations.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed supporters of the regime on January 9, saying that "saboteurs, agitators" had "destroyed the country's buildings to please" President Trump.
He added that Trump has the "blood of Iranians on his hands" following US strikes on Iran in June, and that the US leader would be "overthrown."
The Iranian army later issued a statement announcing it would join other armed forces to "guard and protect the country's strategic infrastructure and public property" during the protests.
Separately, the authorities said several members of the security forces have been killed as state TV broadcast images on January 10 of funerals of security officers allegedly killed in the protests, including a large gathering in the southern city of Shiraz.
UN Chief 'Shocked' By 'Excessive Use of Force' Against Iranian Protesters
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on January 11 that he is "shocked" by reports of "violence and excessive use of force by Iranian authorities against protesters" that rights groups say have killed hundreds and injured many more in recent days.
In a statement, Guterres’ spokesman said he supports citizens' peaceful and fearless expression of their discontent and calls on Iranian authorities to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from the "unnecessary or disproportionate use of force."
He also called for ensuring access to information in Iran, including the restoration of communications, as an Internet blackout continued nationwide.
Iran Officials Declare 3 Days Of Mourning
The government of Iran declared three days of national mourning late on January 11, without mentioning the role of security forces in the deaths of protesters.
In a statement by the cabinet published in state media, the deaths of protesters, security forces, and police were attributed to "urban terrorist criminals." The government of Masud Pezeshkian has also likened the violence to the behavior of the Islamic State extremist group.
In recent days, officials in Iran and state media have described the protesters as "armed terrorists" and have not mentioned the numerous gatherings of citizens demanding a change of government in Iran, the images of which have been published.
In an interview with Iranian state TV on January 11, Pezeshkian also called the protesters "terrorists" and called for security forces to deal with them.
An hour later, videos were published on social media showing a significant number of people killed at Tehran’s Kahrizak forensic hospital.
Due to the nationwide Internet blackout and the imposition of severe restrictions and censorship, it is not clear how many people have died in the protests across Iran. Some human rights organizations have reported different figures, citing their own sources.
US-based group HRANA said it had verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, with more than 10,600 people arrested in two weeks of unrest.
The Iranian government has also called on people to participate in a government-sponsored rally scheduled for January 12. Text messages sent to Iranian citizens urged them to march against what they call "subversive elements and armed terrorists affiliated with the United States and Zionism."
Iranian State Media Announces Death of Mashhad Anti-Narcotics Police Chief
The Islamic Republic of Iran Radio and Television, the country's state-controlled public broadcaster, announced on January 11, citing the deputy commander of the Khorasan Razavi Police Force, that Brigadier General Javad Keshavarz, the head of Mashhad’s anti-narcotics police, had died in an attack by people he called “armed rioters.”
This news comes as nationwide protests in Iran have entered their third week.
Trump Says Iran Leaders Seeking Talks
US President Donald Trump said the Iranian leadership called to seek talks with Washington in the face of his threats of military action in response to Tehran's brutal crackdown of mass anti-government protests.
"The leaders of Iran called," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on January 11. He added that "a meeting is being set up.... They want to negotiate."
However, "we may have to act before a meeting," he added without being specific.
To read the rest of the report by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
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Trump Briefed On Options To Support Protests, Media Report
US President Donald Trump has reportedly been briefed on options to respond to the harsh security crackdown on protests in Iran.
As Trump has intensified pressure on the hard-line rulers in Tehran over the past week, he is now considering several options for supporting the protests in Iran, Axios and The New York Times reported, citing unnamed US officials.
While the reports said Trump has yet to make a decision on the form and scale of any move, The Wall Street Journal reported that specific options would be presented to the president on January 13.
The reports came as rights groups and government media said protests, arrests, and violence continued in dozens of towns and cities in Iran on January 11.
Harrowing Images Of Dead Bodies Outside Tehran Morgue Appear Online
The Telegram channels Vahid Online and Hal Vash, which monitor protests and rights abuses in Iran, have published images of people killed during the recent anti-government demonstrations in Tehran.
In a series of recorded videos confirmed by Reuters as being filmed at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center in the Iranian capital, people can be seen identifying their relatives among the bodies of those killed. The news agency said the date on which the footage was taken could not be verified.
Investigations carried out by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda indicate that Iranian military and security forces have fired live ammunition at civilians during the protests and there have also been reports of extrajudicial killings.
Iranians Abroad Lose Contact With Loved Ones Amid Dayslong Digital Blackout
- By RFE/RL
With Iran currently experiencing a dayslong digital blackout since late evening on January 8, RFE/RL's Radio Farda has been in touch with Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families because of the shutdown back home. For safety reasons, some of those who responded asked to remain anonymous, while others requested that only their first names be used. (We posted an text version of this story earlier.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on January 11, that Israel is “closely monitoring the events unfolding in Iran,” adding that his country supports the Iranian people’s “struggle for freedom and strongly condemns the mass slaughter of innocent civilians.”
Israeli media reported that Israel’s Chief of the General Staff, Eyal Zamir, held meetings over the weekend to assess the situation following the intensification of protests in Iran.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli military currently views the anti-government protests as an internal matter in Iran and does not consider them to be directly related to Israel’s security, even as it continues to monitor the situation.
Iranian State TV Confirms Authenticity Of Footage Showing Numerous Bodies In Warehouse
Iranian state-controlled broadcaster IRIB -- one of the few media outlets with Internet access -- has published a video report showing a large warehouse in Tehran containing numerous bodies, but attributed their deaths to “protesters.”
The report does not specify the city district, the exact location of the warehouse, or any other details.
Prior to this state TV report, which was broadcast on January 11, images received by Radio Farda on the previous night -- and likely recorded near a medical facility and the Kahrizak morgue in Tehran -- appeared to show the bodies of several people killed, with visible gunshot wounds on some of them. Their relatives were present at the site to identify them.
In another video, filmed from a different angle, families are seen inside a large hall searching among dozens of lifeless bodies for their loved ones, with some in the process of identifying and confirming the identities of victims.
According to Radio Farda, the concentration of such a large number of bodies in a single location could give some indication of the scale of the casualties during the crackdown.
In its report on the afternoon of January 11, IRIB confirmed the authenticity of the images but attributed the killing of the “majority” of those shown to opponents of the government.
In the report, an IRIB correspondent shows scenes of bodies being transported by pickup trucks from a forensic medical facility to a large warehouse, along with numerous bloodied bodies lying on the floor of the hall, and -- without providing any evidence -- claims that the majority of the victims were “not killed by government forces.”
However, the reporter also acknowledges at one point that “among them there may have been individuals who intended to confront law enforcement.”
On January 11, the Iran Human Rights Organization said that reports “indicate widespread killing of protesters in different parts of the country, particularly in Tehran.”
According to the Norway-based rights monitor, the deaths of at least 192 protesters have been confirmed since the start of the protests, nine of whom were under the age of 18.
At the same time, the organization warned that there are unverified reports indicating the deaths of at least several hundred people. According to estimates by some sources, the death toll could be more than 2,000, it added.