If Donald Trump plans to intervene in Iran to protect protesters from reprisal massacres, the time has arrived. While the crackdown on both the rebellion and on communications has proven severe, even officials are telling news agencies that the number of dead is rising rapidly in Tehran and elsewhere. Reuters reported that the death toll has risen above 2,000, and may be much higher than that:
Around 2,000 people have died during a ruthless crackdown on protests sweeping Iran, officials have said, as Donald Trump considers military action against Tehran.
An Iranian official told Reuters that the figure includes security personnel, as the United Nations’ human rights chief Volker Turk expressed “horror” over violence unfolding in the country.
The figure has not been independently verified, but it is significantly higher than the toll of 646 reported by activists on Tuesday. An internet blackout has meant information from the country is scarce.
The New York Times, which belatedly has begun to cover the Iranian events in earnest, puts the death toll at 3,000:
As the Iranian authorities impose a near-total communication blackout on a country convulsed by mass protests, videos and witness accounts slowly emerging suggest that the government is waging one of its deadliest crackdowns on unrest in more than a decade.
Eyewitnesses say government forces have begun opening fire, apparently with automatic weapons and at times seemingly indiscriminately, on unarmed protesters. Hospital workers say protesters had been coming in with pellet injuries but now arrive with gunshot wounds and skull fractures. One doctor called it a “mass-casualty situation.” …
A senior Iranian health ministry official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said about 3,000 people had been killed across the country but sought to shift the blame to “terrorists” fomenting unrest. The figure included hundreds of security officers, he said.
Another government official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he had seen an internal report that referred to at least 3,000 dead, and added that the toll could climb.
According to claims made through the internet and cellphone blackout from Iran, regime forces are now shooting people indiscriminately. Whether they are participating in demonstrations does not seem to matter – the IRGC and Basiji forces apparently want to force everyone back inside:
Iran’s uniformed security forces on motorcycles were spotted opening fire on protesters in the city of Fardis, just outside Tehran, one witness told BBC Persian.
Officers in unmarked cars also stalked alleys and killed local residents not even involved the protests, the witness added.
“Two or three people were killed in every alley,” the witness claimed. …
“Security forces only killed and killed and killed. Seeing it with my own eyes made me so unwell that I completely lost morale. Friday was a bloody day,” she said.
“In war, both sides have weapons. Here, people only chant and get killed. It is a one-sided war.”
About 2,000 people, including security personnel, have been killed so far, an Iranian official claimed on Tuesday — marking the first time authorities have acknowledged the high death toll.
The State Department also put out an emergency warning to any US citizens still in Iran. The message is simple – get out:
In an update on their website, the U.S. Department of State says: “Do not travel to Iran for any reason. U.S. citizens in Iran should leave immediately. There is no U.S. Embassy in Iran.
“U.S. citizens in Iran face serious dangers including terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest, and wrongful detention. Some U.S. nationals have been held for years on false charges, subjected to torture, and even sentenced to death.[“]
It’s not clear why any American citizens would be in Iran at all, especially over the last couple of years since Hamas started its suicidal war against Israel. It’s equally unclear as to how they’d get out now, while a civil war brews on the streets of cities all across Iran. The best advice would probably be to hunker down and try to keep up via Starlink, if possible.
And that may not be possible for long. The regime has discovered the gap in its internet blackout and has decided to hunt down anyone who has an operating connection:
With the government shutting down the internet and throttling phone services, Iranians are leaning heavily on Elon Musk’s Starlink service to share videos of growing protests and the regime’s escalating crackdown with the world.
But Iran has intensified efforts to jam the service, which is banned in the country, and users are being hunted.
Over the weekend, authorities began searching for and confiscating Starlink dishes in western Tehran, said Amir Rashidi, director of digital rights and security at Miaan Group, a U.S. nonprofit opposed to internet censorship.
Trump said he would ask Elon Musk to provide more terminals in an effort to bolster the resistance to the mullahs. That certainly is one option for Trump in his potential responses to the crossing of the red line he set on Friday, warning the regime not to attack the crowds of protesters in the streets. The IRGC and Basiji not only ignored that warning, they escalated their attacks almost immediately afterward. Trump imposed a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, which would hit India, Turkey, and the UAE hardest. However, the White House made clear that military options were still being considered:
Officials say Trump currently favors striking Iran but could shift his approach depending on events and counsel from aides. Some suggested he may act militarily first and pursue serious talks with Tehran afterward, a possibility Trump seemed to signal Sunday. “We may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting,” he said.
Vance, usually cautious about military interventions, remains open to strikes, according to someone familiar with his thinking, citing Iran as a U.S. threat. Vance had initially opposed bombing Iran last June before Trump approved attacks on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites.
Whatever Trump has planned, he needs to act soon. The regime is pulling out all stops in its attempt to survive, and it has no compunction about using mass murder to do it. Those kinds of incentives require strong disincentives to check, and tariffs simply are insufficient to the purpose. There is a wide range of escalating options that can be fine-tuned, but time is running out for the brave Iranians standing up for liberty and getting killed for it.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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