Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jan 12: US President Donald Trump has said his administration is weighing a range of responses, including possible military action, amid escalating unrest in Iran following a brutal crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests that has reportedly killed more than 500 people.
Trump’s remarks come as Iran warned that US military assets and Israel would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect protesters demonstrating against the Islamic regime led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei over rising inflation and economic distress.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 544 people have been killed during the crackdown, with fears that the toll could be higher. The agency said 496 of the dead were protesters, while 48 were members of security forces. More than 10,600 people have reportedly been detained over the past two weeks. Iran’s government has not released official casualty figures.
The Associated Press reported that the rights group has a track record of accuracy, relying on sources inside Iran and regional cross-verification to compile data.
Meanwhile, the Iranian ambassador to India dismissed reports claiming that six Indian nationals had been arrested during the protests. Iranian envoy Mohammad Fathali said on X that such claims circulating on foreign social media accounts were “totally false” and urged the public to rely only on credible sources.
As protests continue to grip Iran, Reza Pahlavi, son of the country’s ousted Shah, appealed to security forces to stand with the people. With internet services largely shut down and phone lines cut, assessing the scale of demonstrations from outside Iran has become increasingly difficult, raising concerns that the information blackout is enabling a harsher crackdown.
Videos believed to have been transmitted using Starlink satellite equipment appeared to show protesters gathering in Tehran’s Punak neighbourhood, waving mobile phone lights as authorities blocked streets. Similar footage surfaced from Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, as well as Kerman in the southeast.
Iranian state television, however, broadcast scenes of calm from select cities, while excluding Tehran and Mashhad. The government also stepped up its rhetoric, with senior security official Ali Larijani accusing some demonstrators of acts resembling those of the Islamic State group.
State TV aired funerals of security personnel, reporting that six members were killed in Kermanshah, while violence in Fars province claimed 13 lives. Seven security personnel were also reported killed in North Khorasan province.
Even Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian adopted a tougher tone, saying that while public concerns must be addressed, the state could not allow “rioters” to destabilise society.
In Washington, Trump said Iran had proposed negotiations after he threatened action over the crackdown. He confirmed that the US military was examining “very strong options,” including cyber operations and direct strikes, either by the United States or Israel.
“If they do that, we will hit them at levels they’ve never been hit before,” Trump said, responding to Iran’s threats of retaliation.
The warning followed a speech in Iran’s parliament by hardline Speaker Mohammad Baagher Qalibaf, who said Israel and all American military bases, ships and facilities in the region would be legitimate targets if Iran is attacked. Other lawmakers echoed the sentiment, chanting “Death to America” on the parliamentary floor.
It remains unclear how far Iran is willing to escalate, particularly after its air defence systems were damaged during last year’s 12-day conflict with Israel. Any decision to enter a wider war would ultimately rest with 86-year-old Supreme Leader Khamenei.
The protests began on December 28 after the Iranian rial collapsed to over 1.4 million to the US dollar, amid severe economic pressure from international sanctions linked partly to Iran’s nuclear programme. What began as economic demonstrations has since evolved into direct challenges to Iran’s theocratic rule.