Iran has issued a stern warning to the US, urging it not to take any action against its government amidst rising protests across the country. The warning came as President Donald Trump weighed his options for a response from Washington, with the reported death toll from the demonstrations soaring to hundreds.
According to human rights groups, at least 538 people have been killed in the violence surrounding the demonstrations, including 490 protesters. Over 10,600 people were arrested by Iranian authorities, who have cracked down on the protests with deadly force and live ammunition. The regime has also imposed a complete internet shutdown in the country.
The brutal crackdown has raised concerns of US intervention, with Trump saying he would "rescue" protesters if they were killed. He reiterated his threat to intervene on Saturday night as the protests raged on. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was to be briefed by his team on Tuesday on options including military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.
Iranian officials bristled at the prospect of a US strike, with the speaker of parliament warning that Israel and US interests in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets" if Washington struck Iran. The Iranian president also accused the US and Israel of being behind unrest in the country, saying they had brought in "terrorists" who were attacking public property.
The protest movement in Iran is the most significant unrest the country has experienced in years. Though triggered initially by a sudden slide in the country's currency, protesters soon demanded political reform and called for the downfall of the government. The regime has weathered mass protest movements before, but analysts say the current unrest is happening because the government has been weakened by an economic crisis and in the aftermath of its summer war with Israel.
The death toll from the protests continues to rise, with reports suggesting that hundreds of protesters have been killed. Rights groups have said that while proper, exhaustive documentation is near-impossible due to the communications blackout in the country, there have been increasing reports of soaring casualties among protesters.
According to human rights groups, at least 538 people have been killed in the violence surrounding the demonstrations, including 490 protesters. Over 10,600 people were arrested by Iranian authorities, who have cracked down on the protests with deadly force and live ammunition. The regime has also imposed a complete internet shutdown in the country.
The brutal crackdown has raised concerns of US intervention, with Trump saying he would "rescue" protesters if they were killed. He reiterated his threat to intervene on Saturday night as the protests raged on. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was to be briefed by his team on Tuesday on options including military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.
Iranian officials bristled at the prospect of a US strike, with the speaker of parliament warning that Israel and US interests in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets" if Washington struck Iran. The Iranian president also accused the US and Israel of being behind unrest in the country, saying they had brought in "terrorists" who were attacking public property.
The protest movement in Iran is the most significant unrest the country has experienced in years. Though triggered initially by a sudden slide in the country's currency, protesters soon demanded political reform and called for the downfall of the government. The regime has weathered mass protest movements before, but analysts say the current unrest is happening because the government has been weakened by an economic crisis and in the aftermath of its summer war with Israel.
The death toll from the protests continues to rise, with reports suggesting that hundreds of protesters have been killed. Rights groups have said that while proper, exhaustive documentation is near-impossible due to the communications blackout in the country, there have been increasing reports of soaring casualties among protesters.
like what if the ppl are fighting for a reason?? i mean we hav a school council meet every week but sometimes i feel like they dont really listen to us students... like whats the diff between Iran and our country? 
also, 538 people killed is crazy! can u believe that many people died in protest? thats like, my entire school in one day 
Trump's all like he wants to "rescue" the protesters, but what if that just makes things worse? On one hand, I feel bad for those 538 people who got killed... 
But on the other hand, isn't it kinda the protesters' fault for taking to the streets in the first place? 
And what's with all these sanctions and cyber threats? Is that really gonna help anyone? Maybe Iran should just talk to Trump and work out some kind of deal... or maybe they shouldn't. 
. It's just another example of him trying to flex his muscles as a world leader. And what makes him think the US would actually get involved? Iran has some serious heat on them from China right now, and Trump wouldn't want to mess with that 
. Plus, who knows what kind of collateral damage he'd cause in Israel 
.
I'm seriously worried about what's happening in Iran rn 
And with Trump talking about intervening, it could escalate into a full-blown crisis 
. I think it's time for him to think twice about how his words can be perceived as threats. 
The Iranian government is already on high alert, and the threat of US intervention is putting them in an even tighter spot 
️. Can we please focus on finding peaceful solutions to this crisis? 
.
The fact that 538 people have lost their lives already is a tragedy, and now we're talking about more casualties? It's just devastating 
also, 538 people dead from protests? that's not exactly a low number for the US to be considering military intervention... sounds like a recipe for disaster 
, which could potentially escalate tensions. On the other hand, imposing economic sanctions or using cyber warfare as a deterrent might be seen as an overreach 
. The question remains: is it more effective to encourage regime change through targeted sanctions or backdoor support for anti-government groups? 
And what about the risks of unintended consequences, like drawing in regional powers like Israel and Saudi Arabia? geopolitically, this situation feels increasingly precarious 
️
and trump wants to rescue them? how is that even possible? 
they're fighting for their rights and it's beautiful 
we should be cheering them on instead of just watching from afar 
. We need to be aware of what's going on over there and speak out against human rights abuses.