Iran demos abate after crackdown, internet block eases
Iran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government demonstrators appears to have crushed the protests, according to a human rights group and residents; because communication restrictions have decreased under the shadow of the US’s threat to intervene if the murder continues.
The prospect of a US attack has receded since Wednesday, when President Donald Trump said killings in Iran were said to be decreasing but a greater US military presence was expected in the region, suggesting tensions remain.
US allies including Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been engaged in intense diplomacy this week to prevent a US attack, a Gulf official said, warning that its effects in the wider region would impact the US.
The White House said in a statement on Thursday that Trump and his team had warned Iranian officials that there would be “serious consequences” if more bloodshed occurred, and that the president was “keeping all options on the table.”
“Iran has canceled the hanging of over 800 people,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“And I have great respect for the fact that they canceled,” he said.
The protests erupted on December 28 over economic difficulties and escalated into widespread demonstrations calling for an end to religious rule, culminating in three days of mass violence late last week.
The official source said the unrest peaked with demonstrations across much of the country last Thursday and included vandalism of public institutions, the destruction of banks and the burning of 53 mosques.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran’s worst civil unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to opposition groups.
But many Tehran residents reached by Reuters said the capital had been relatively quiet for four days.
Drones were flying over the city but there were no signs of major protests on Thursday or Friday.
Another resident of a northern city on the Caspian Sea said the streets there looked quiet.
Neighborhood residents refused to reveal their identities for their safety.
As the internet blackout eased this week, more accounts of the violence emerged.
A woman in Tehran told Reuters by phone that her daughter was killed a week ago after attending a demonstration near her home.
“He was 15 years old. He was not a terrorist or a rebel. Basij forces followed him as he tried to return home,” he said, referring to a branch of the security forces often used to quell unrest.
Since Tuesday, Iranians have been able to make international phone calls, but calls from abroad are still blocked.
Such searches are costly and subject to surveillance, further limiting contact with the outside world.
It is not yet known when the restrictions will be lifted.
Without global internet access, users in Iran can only access local websites.
An Iranian woman said she used the Iranian search engine Zarebin, which displays filtered search results from within the country.
Iranian officials said on Friday that at least 3,000 people had been detained during weeks of protests; This figure is in stark contrast to estimates from rights groups.
A security source speaking to the Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard said, “Security officials announced that 3,000 terrorist group members and people who played a role in the recent events have been arrested so far.” he said.
According to the US-based organization HRANA, more than 19 thousand people were arrested.
Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw said there had been no protest meetings since Sunday but “the security environment remains highly restrictive.”
“Our independent sources confirm that there is a heavy military and security presence in cities and towns where protests have previously taken place, as well as in various places where large demonstrations have not occurred,” Norway-based Hengaw told Reuters. he said.
With DPA, EFE and AP
