dpa | US President Donald Trump has warned the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran before executing participants of the recent mass protests. “We will react very harshly,” the Republican told the TV station CBS News in Detroit. Trump did not elaborate on his threat. The Iranian judiciary had previously brought the first protest participants to justice. The human rights organization Amnesty International warned that the first death sentence could be carried out as early as today. “If they do that, we will act very decisively,” Trump said.
Since the protests against the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian system of rule began a good two weeks ago, Trump had repeatedly threatened Iran with US intervention if demonstrators were killed. He now promised the latter support again. Help is on the way. But what he meant by that was unclear. On the Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “Iranian patriots, keep protesting! Take over your institutions!”
Reports: Trump was advised against attack
According to information from the US broadcaster NBC News, Israeli and Arab government representatives are said to have advised Trump’s government to refrain from attacking Iran for the time being. They believe that the leadership in Tehran may not yet be sufficiently weakened to be toppled by a US attack, the broadcaster reported. He cited a current and a former U.S. official, a person familiar with Israel’s deliberations and two Arab government officials.
Some would prefer to wait until the leadership in Tehran comes under even greater pressure, they said. The situation in Iran is developing rapidly. The stability of the regime can quickly change in one direction or the other. The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran’s Arab rivals had appealed to the US government against an attack on Tehran.
Behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar warned the White House that an attempt to topple Iran’s leadership would rattle oil markets and ultimately harm the U.S. economy, Arab officials were quoted as saying. Above all, they feared repercussions in their own countries.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul no longer sees any legitimacy for Iran’s leadership. If a “regime” can only use armed force to shoot down demonstrations, you can see that it is “at the end,” said the CDU politician on the ARD “Tagesthemen” on the sidelines of his US visit. “It loses all legitimacy. It loses all authority to govern this country.”
Residents of Tehran report a tense calm
Meanwhile, there is a tense calm in the Iranian capital, as residents said on the phone after calls abroad were possible again for the first time on Tuesday. From Saturday onwards, the demonstrations became increasingly smaller, it was said. Some protest participants wanted the United States to intervene after Trump’s threats. “We hear that hundreds of victims – dead and injured – are being brought to hospitals every day. The situation is not good,” said a young man on the phone.
The British one Guardian Citing doctors in Tehran, reported that the gunshot wounds were mostly injuries to the eyes. The security forces would deliberately shoot at the head and eyes. According to human rights activists, this is a tactic that has already been used in previous protests, the newspaper reported. An ophthalmologist documented more than 400 eye injuries caused by gunshots in one hospital alone. Many patients would have had their eyes removed.
Trump hints at high number of victims in Iran
According to the Norway-based human rights organization Hengaw, at least 2,500 people have died in Iran since the protests broke out. Trump said in the CBS interview that there were different reports on the number of protesters killed. “But it looks like it could be a significant number. And that will mean a lot of problems for them,” said the president, referring to the leadership in Tehran.
The protests triggered by an economic crisis have increased a nationwide uprising developed. There were serious riots in cities. These are the most violent mass protests in Iran in years. The government defends the violent action against the demonstrators by saying that the participants were “terrorists” or “rioters”.
First charges against demonstrators
The country’s judiciary has now initiated the first charges against arrested demonstrators. There is also the accusation of “waging war against God” – an offense that can be punished with the death penalty under Islamic law in Iran. The country’s judiciary had also handed down death sentences in previous waves of protests.
The internet remains blocked in the meantime. The people of Iran therefore rely heavily on Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service to share videos of the protests with the world. Musk’s company SpaceX made the service free for the country, as confirmed to the financial service Bloomberg. However, according to media reports, Iran’s authorities managed to partially disrupt reception.
Security forces take action against satellite internet
At the weekend, the authorities also began searching for and confiscating Starlink antennas in western Tehran, it cited Wall Street Journal the Miaan Group, a US organization that campaigns against internet censorship. Antennas and receiving devices for Starlink are prohibited. However, it is estimated that around 20,000 of the terminals were smuggled into the country. Normal satellite dishes are also officially banned. In several parts of Tehran, security forces began confiscating these as well – an old practice from before the internet.