Iran Supreme Leader Signals Crackdown Coming as Protesters Are ‘Ruining Their Own Streets
DUBAI – Iran signaled Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters,directly challenging U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to support peaceful demonstrations as the death toll rose to at least 50.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump as having hands ”stained with the blood of Iranians” as supporters shouted “Death to america!” in footage aired by Iranian state television. State media later repeatedly referred to demonstrators as “terrorists,” foreshadowing a violent crackdown.
Khamenei said protesters were ”ruining their own streets… to please the president of the United States,” and suggested Trump should focus on his own country’s problems. Iran’s judiciary chief gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei vowed that punishment for protesters ”will be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency.”
There was no immediate response from Washington, though Trump has repeated his pledge to strike Iran if protesters are killed, a threat that gained significance after the U.S. military action in Venezuela.
internet Cut Off
Despite a nationwide internet and telephone blackout,online videos shared by activists showed protesters chanting against the government around bonfires in Tehran and other areas.Iranian state media alleged “terrorist agents” of the U.S. and Israel sparked the violence and reported “casualties,” without details.
The protests, which began over Iran’s economy on December 28, represent the most critically important challenge to the government in years. thay also marked the first test of whether the public would respond to Crown Prince reza Pahlavi, whose father fled iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. pahlavi called for continued protests Friday.
Demonstrations included calls for the return of the shah, a sentiment that could carry a death sentence but underscores the anger fueling the protests. At least 50 people have been killed and over 2,270 detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
“What turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi‘s calls for Iranians to take to the streets,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Per social media posts, Iranians delivered and were taking the call seriously to oust the Islamic Republic.”
“This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. unluckily, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters.”
Witnesses said neighborhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting Thursday night, including “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the islamic Republic!” Thousands were on the streets before communications were cut.
Pahlavi stated that the regime had cut all communication lines,including the internet and landlines,and perhaps satellite signals. He called on European leaders to join Trump in holding the regime accountable and restoring communication to the Iranian people.
Pahlavi’s support of Israel has drawn criticism. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah, but it’s unclear if this is support for pahlavi or a desire to return to pre-1979 Iran.
The internet cut also took Iran’s state-run news agencies offline. State TV’s acknowledgment of the demonstrations Friday morning was the first official word about them.
State TV claimed the protests were violent and caused casualties, and reported fires set to cars, motorcycles, and public transportation. It later reported six deaths overnight in Hamedan.
the European Union and Germany condemned the violence against demonstrators.
Trump renewed his threat over protester deaths, warning iran that it would “pay hell” if it “violently kills peaceful protesters.” He also suggested Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be looking to leave Iran, saying “He’s looking to go someplace. It’s getting very bad.”