Trump hints at US military intervention in Iran as he weighs ‘strong options’ amid unrest
“The military is looking at this, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters Sunday night, according to the Associated Press. Asked about Iran’s threat of retaliation, he added: “If they do this, we will hit them at levels they have never been hit before.”
Trump is expected to receive a detailed briefing from senior administration officials on possible US responses to the situation in Iran on Tuesday, January 13, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Trump set his sights on Iran, called for ‘freedom’
The talks are set to cover a variety of options, including military strikes, cyber operations targeting Iran’s military and civilian infrastructure, additional sanctions on Tehran and increased online support for anti-government voices, the report said.
Tension in Iran: Activists say death toll in crackdown on protests rises to at least 538
In his post on social media on Saturday, Trump wrote: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM perhaps like never before. USA is ready to help!!!”
The price of unrest was heavy. More than 500 people have died in two weeks of protests, US-based human rights group HRANA told Reuters. The demonstrations, which spread to many cities, were met with a harsh reaction from Iranian authorities.
According to Reuters, based on official and human rights group data, at least 10,670 people were detained in the nationwide crackdown on protesters on January 11 alone.
Iran’s anger: Economic situation, regime under fire
Protests that broke out on December 28 over Iran’s collapsing economy have turned into one of the deadliest crackdowns in recent years. At least 538 people have been killed and many more are feared dead, activists said Sunday. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that 490 of those killed were protesters and 48 were members of Iranian security forces. HRANA also reported that more than 10,600 people were detained during the two-week demonstrations, the Associated Press reported.
According to journalists on the ground, events on the ground have become increasingly difficult to verify as Iran has extensively shut down the internet and cut phone lines.
Despite a heavy security presence, protesters took to the streets in Tehran and Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, on Sunday, according to activists and online videos circulating from within the country.
As Washington weighs its next steps, Tehran has stepped up its rhetoric. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammed Baagher Qalibaf, warned during an impassioned speech that any American attack would lead to immediate retaliation.
According to the Associated Press, Qalibaf, who directly threatened Israel, which he called “occupied territories”, said, “In case of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territories and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets.” “We do not see ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act upon an objective indication of threat.”
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His speech sparked chaotic scenes in parliament; MPs rushed to the podium and shouted “Death to America!” They shouted slogans.
The US military said it was ready. In a statement reported by the Associated Press, the military said it was “acting with forces spanning its full combat capability to defend our forces, partners, allies and U.S. interests in the Middle East.” Iran has already targeted US assets in the region, including an attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain.
Meanwhile, Israel is also monitoring the situation closely. An Israeli official told The Associated Press that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight, and Iran was among the issues discussed. Netanyahu later praised the protesters, saying: “The people of Israel, the whole world, admire the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran.”
International concern continued to grow. At the Vatican, Pope Leo The United Nations also focused on the issue; A spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked” by reports of violence against protesters that resulted in “many deaths” and called on Iranian officials to exercise restraint and restore communication.
Iranian regime cracked down on protesting civilians
On the ground, online videos sent from Iran (thought to have been transmitted using Starlink satellite links) show protesters gathering in the Punak neighborhood in northern Tehran. Streets appeared to be blocked off by authorities as demonstrators waved lit cell phones, hit metal objects and set off fireworks. HRANA said protests in the capital had become increasingly fluid and short-lived, a tactic shaped by the heavy deployment of security forces and surveillance drones.
In Mashhad, footage allegedly showed demonstrators confronting security personnel. Protests were also reported in Kerman in southeastern Iran. However, Iranian state television broadcast footage on Sunday morning showing quiet streets in several cities, though Tehran and Mashhad were noticeably absent.
The Iranian government has attempted to describe the unrest as violent and foreign-caused. Ali Larijani, a senior security official, accused some demonstrators of “killing or burning people, which is very similar to what ISIS is doing,” the Associated Press reported. State television broadcast the funerals of the slain security forces and reported that six personnel were killed in Kermanshah, while 13 people died in violence in Fars province. Additionally, images of corpses in bags loaded into a truck and scenes from the morgue are also broadcast.
Even Iran’s reformist President Massoud Pezeshkian spoke in a harsher tone. While acknowledging public complaints, he warned against what he called disorder. “People have concerns, we have to sit down with them and address their concerns if that’s our mission,” Pezeshkian said in an interview published Sunday. “But the most important task is not to allow a group of rebels to come and destroy the entire society.”
