DUBAI: Iran signaled on Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters, directly challenging the US president Donald Trumppledging to support those peacefully protesting as the death toll rose to at least 50.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump as having his hands “stained with the blood of Iranians,” while his supporters shouted “Death to America!” in images broadcast by Iranian state television. State media subsequently repeatedly referred to the protesters as “terrorists,” paving the way for a violent crackdown like those that have followed other nationwide protests in recent years.
Protesters are “destroying their own streets… in order to please the president of the United States,” Khamenei told the crowd gathered at his Tehran compound. “Because he said he would help them. He should instead pay attention to the state of his own country.”
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, said separately that sanctions against protesters “would be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency.”
There was no immediate response from Washington, although Trump reiterated his promise to strike Iran if protesters were killed, a threat that took on even greater significance after the U.S. military raid that captured Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Internet cut
Although Iran’s theocracy cuts the nation off from the Internet and international phone calls, short online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against the Iranian government around bonfires as debris littered the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other neighborhoods Friday morning.
Iranian state media has accused “terrorist agents” from the United States and Israel of starting fires and sparking violence. He also indicated that there were “victims”, without further details.
The scale of the protests could not be immediately determined due to the communications blackout, although they represented a new escalation of protests that began over Iran’s struggling economy and have grown into the most significant challenge to the government in several years. The protests have intensified steadily since the beginning of December 28.
The protests also represented the first test of whether Iranian public opinion could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose seriously ill father fled Iran just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Pahlavi, who called for protests Thursday night, also called for demonstrations Friday at 8 p.m.
The demonstrations included shouts of support for the Shah, which could have brought a death sentence in the past but now underscore the anger fueling protests that have begun over Iran’s struggling economy.
So far, violence around the protests has killed at least 50 people while more than 2,270 others have been arrested, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists news agency said.
“What turned the tide of the protests were former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “From posts on social media, it became clear that Iranians had kept their word and were taking seriously the call to demonstrate to overthrow the Islamic Republic.”
“This is exactly why the internet was shut down: to prevent the world from seeing the protests. Unfortunately, this probably also served as a cover for security forces to kill protesters.”
Thursday evening’s protests preceded the internet shutdown. When the clock struck 8 p.m. on Thursday, chants broke out in neighborhoods across Tehran, witnesses said. Chants included “Death to the dictator!” » and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” Others praised the shah, shouting: “This is the last battle!” Pahlavi will return! Thousands of people could be seen in the streets before all communication with Iran was cut off.
“Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the Iranian regime cut all lines of communication,” Pahlavi said. “It shut down the Internet. It shut down landlines. It might even try to jam satellite signals.”
He then called on European leaders to join Trump in promising to “hold the regime to account.”
“I call on them to use all available technical, financial and diplomatic resources to re-establish communication with the Iranian people so that their voice and will can be heard and seen,” he added. “Do not let the voices of my brave compatriots be silenced.”
Pahlavi had said he would propose other projects depending on the response to his appeal. Its support for and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past – particularly after Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June. Protesters have shouted in support of the Shah during some demonstrations, but it is unclear whether this is in support of Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The internet shutdown also appears to have knocked Iran’s state-run and semi-official news agencies offline. State television’s statement at 8 a.m. Friday was the first official word on the protests.
State television said the protests were violent and caused casualties, but gave no further details. It also said the protests saw “private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire.” State television later reported that violence killed six people overnight in Hamedan, about 280 kilometers (175 miles) southwest of Tehran.
The European Union and Germany condemned the violence targeting demonstrators.
Trump renews his threat regarding the death of demonstrators. Iran has faced a series of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the 12-day war, its currency, the rial, collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to the dollar. Protests began soon after, with demonstrators chanting against Iran’s theocracy.
It remains unclear why the Iranian authorities have not yet cracked down more harshly on the protesters. Trump warned last week that if Tehran “violently killed peaceful protesters,” America would “come to their rescue.”
In an interview with talk show host Hugh Hewitt that aired Thursday, Trump reiterated his commitment.
“Iran has been told very strongly, even more strongly than I am telling you now, that if they do this, they will have to pay hell,” Trump said.
He hesitated when asked if he would meet Pahlavi.
“I’m not sure it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president,” Trump said. “I think we should let everyone out, and we’ll see who comes out.”
Speaking in an interview with Sean Hannity that aired Thursday night on Fox News, Trump went so far as to suggest that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, might consider leaving Iran.
“He’s looking to go somewhere,” Trump said. “It’s getting really bad.”