Amid growing internal protests in Iran that began against the backdrop of inflation and the government’s muscling of protesters to quell the vigour, the United States President Donald Trump warned the Iranian authorities of military action, while Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed stern action against “terrorists” who are acting as “mercenaries for foreigners”.
Trump, who had ordered air strikes on Iranian targets in June and had again floated the possibility of siding with protesters in recent days, said on Friday that Iran was in “big trouble”, and while pointing to videos that appeared to show anti-government demonstrators taking control of areas in several cities, he warned Tehran that any move to open fire on civilians would invite a military response from Washington, Al Jazeera reported.
While Iranian authorities have acknowledged unrest, they have framed the protests as a foreign-backed conspiracy, and Khamenei, speaking in a televised address, called for unity against what he described as “terrorist actions”, even as he accused protesters of acting at the behest of Trump and warned that those attacking public property would be treated as agents of hostile powers.
Rights groups have reported that at least 62 people, including security personnel, have been killed since demonstrations erupted on December 28 after shopkeepers in Tehran protested a sharp fall in the rial, and although President Masoud Pezeshkian has urged restraint while asking the state to address “genuine” grievances, hard-line voices have insisted that no leniency will be shown because the movement has drawn encouragement from what they call foreign foes.
As clashes spread, the authorities cut off internet access and disrupted phone services, and while Netblocks said connectivity had dropped to about one per cent of normal levels, activists were still able to upload footage that appeared to show bonfires, chanting crowds and heavy police presence in Tehran and other cities.
Iranian state media has accused the United States and Israel of fuelling violence, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking during a visit to Lebanon, said outside powers were trying to turn peaceful protests into a divisive uprising, even as a US State Department spokesperson dismissed those claims as an attempt to distract from the regime’s internal crisis.
The exiled Reza Pahlavi, who styles himself as Iran’s crown prince, has appealed to Trump to intervene, and while some analysts say his online calls for mass mobilisation have galvanised demonstrators, Trump has so far declined to endorse him, suggesting that Washington is still weighing how far to go as Iran’s streets and its leadership move on an increasingly collision-bound course.