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.
Ksenia Svetlova, an associate fellow at the Chatham House and a former member of the Israeli Knesset, said Iran’s leadership has been weakened but is unlikely to collapse in the near term.
“The Iranian regime has been seriously weakened, but it is unlikely to collapse immediately," she told Current Time. "It is quite possible that the collapse of the regime has already begun, but it may stretch over a fairly long period of time.”
“Given Iran's extremely difficult economic situation and the possibility of continued military pressure, for example from Israel alone, there are factors that could eventually undermine the regime,” she said.
Svetlova said Iran relies on asymmetric tactics -- including drones and threats to the Strait of Hormuz -- to buy time, adding that simply surviving the conflict would amount to a victory for the regime.
Commercial Ships Targeted As Iran Threatens Key Gulf Energy Transit Point
- By RFE/RL
Three vessels were damaged in incidents across the Persian Gulf's key maritime artery, where about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies travel, as Iran continued to launch air attacks around the Middle East.
Commercial ships sailing under the flags of Thailand, Japan, and the Marshall Islands were targeted by unknown projectiles across the Strait of Hormuz, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a shipping security monitor, said on March 11.
While no crew members were reported dead following the attacks, UKMTO advised ships in the Strait of Hormuz "to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity," adding that investigations into the incidents were ongoing.
Just off the shores of Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the shipping lane narrows to a width of less than 4 kilometers, the attacks are the latest in at least a dozen incidents since US and Israeli forces began their military campaign against Iran on February 28. Those attacks have prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran on targets in many neighboring Gulf states.
The flurry of strikes on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz follows US President Donald Trump's earlier warning to Iran, in which he demanded Tehran to remove any mines in the area, or otherwise, meet "military consequences" that will be at "a level never seen before."
Read more here.
Oil, War, And The Strait of Hormuz: Can Washington Safeguard Global Energy Markets From Iran?
WASHINGTON -- As the United States and Israel's conflict with Iran converges on the Strait of Hormuz -- the world’s most critical energy chokepoint -- the economic consequences of a major disruption to oil and gas supplies could reverberate around the world.
About one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) normally flows through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to international markets. Yet tanker traffic has slowed sharply amid security concerns, military threats, and reports that Iran is deploying mines and other asymmetric measures to inflict damage on vessels attempting to use the Strait.
Already the market response has been seen: oil surged toward $120 per barrel before retreating slightly while aviation fuel prices remain around double the levels seen in January.
For analysts, these swings underscore a fundamental question: Can Tehran leverage the global energy system as a strategic weapon -- or can the United States and its partners prevent that scenario?
Read more here.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has announced new sanctions against Iranian government individuals and entities she says have been "responsible for serious human rights violations."
3 Ships Damaged By Projectiles In The Strait Of Hormuz
Maritime security sources and informed officials said March 11 that three ships in the Strait of Hormuz were struck by projectiles of unknown origin. One of the attacks caused a fire on board a vessel, forcing most of its crew to evacuate.
The Thai-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was struck and damaged about 11 nautical miles north of Oman, according to Reuters, which cited two maritime security sources.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British naval coordination center that monitors security threats to commercial shipping, subsequently said the fire on the vessel had "been extinguished and there is no environmental impact at this time."
Thailand’s Transport Ministry said hours later that three crew members were missing. The three had been working in the ship’s engine room. Oman's navy rescued the rest of the crew.
Earlier, the Japanese-flagged container ship One Majesty also sustained minor damage after being struck by an unidentified projectile about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) northwest of Ra's Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the UKMTO, the vessel’s crew "are safe and accounted for."
Another bulk carrier was also struck by an unidentified projectile about 50 nautical miles (93 kilometers) northwest of Dubai.
The maritime risk-management company Vanguard Tech said the projectile damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Star Gwyneth, but its crew were safe.
Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage through which around 20 percent of global oil and gas exports pass, has fallen by 97 percent since the start of the US–Israel war with Iran on February 28.
With these latest incidents, the number of ships attacked since the start of the conflict has reached at least 14.
The Netblocks Internet connectivity monitor says that Iran's digital blackout has now entered a 12th day "with connectivity still at 1% of ordinary levels."
Experts and rights groups say Internet shutdowns in Iran can limit information leaving the country and help authorities control the narrative during unrest or conflict.
Iran Threatens To Target US, Israeli Banks After Tehran Strike
The Iranian military’s joint operational command says that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will target economic centers and banks belonging to the United States and Israel in the Middle East.
In a message, published on March 11, a spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya’s central headquarters said the decision was taken in response to the “enemy” targeting a bank in Iran.
The statement did not name the bank or its location, but said it had been struck overnight.
However, Bank Sepah – one of Iran’s largest state-owned banks -- later said one of its branches on the Haqqani Highway in Tehran was hit by a missile at 1 a.m. on March 11.
Iran’s state television channel IRINN reported separately that the bank in question was located in Tehran and claimed employees had been working an extra shift to prepare March salary payments. According to the report, a “high” number of people were killed in the attack.
In its statement, Khatam al-Anbiya added that this “illegitimate and unconventional” act in the war had “left our hands free to target economic centers and banks belonging to” the United States and Israel “in the region.”
The statement also urged people in countries where such banks are located not to remain within a one-kilometer radius of them.
Drones Crash Near Dubai Airport, Injuring 4
The emirate of Dubai said on March 11 that two drones crashed near the city’s airport, leaving four people injured, though air traffic continues to operate normally.
The incident, which injured two citizens of Ghana, one from India and one from Bangladesh, comes as Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries continue on the 12th day of the war between the United States and Israel and Iran.
And speaking of Iranian soccer, the president of football's world governing body FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has been talking to Donald Trump, whose country is co-hosting this year's World Cup. According to Infantino, the US President "reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States" despite the current conflict with Iran.
Iran Women’s Footballer Withdraws Asylum Bid In Australia
An Iranian women’s national soccer team member who initially sought asylum in Australia has withdrawn her request after speaking with teammates, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on March 11.
Seven members of the visiting squad had sought sanctuary after being branded “traitors” in Iran for silently protesting during the national anthem before a match.
Burke told the Australian parliament that one player reversed her decision after contacting teammates who had returned with the team and encouraged her to speak with the Iranian Embassy.
Because the embassy learned the group’s location, Australian authorities moved the remaining asylum-seeking players from a safe house to another location.
The rest of the team flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur early on March 11.