Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jan 28: Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests has claimed at least 6,221 lives, with thousands more feared dead, according to activists, as a U.S. aircraft carrier group arrived in the Middle East amid rising tensions. The Iranian rial fell to a record low of 1.5 million to $1, reflecting the economic strain facing ordinary citizens.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying guided missile destroyers give the U.S. the ability to respond militarily if needed. However, Gulf Arab states have indicated they do not wish to participate in any attack, despite hosting U.S. forces.
Two Iranian-backed militias have threatened retaliatory strikes, signaling possible escalation if Washington intervenes. Iran, already weakened after Israel’s June conflict, has warned of a potential regional war, though its military capabilities remain under pressure.
The protests, sparked on December 28 by the collapse of the rial, have spread nationwide. According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the death toll includes:
• 5,858 protesters
• 214 government forces
• 100 children
• 49 civilians not participating in demonstrations
Over 42,300 arrests have been reported so far. Iranian authorities, however, claim 3,117 deaths, categorizing the remainder as “terrorists.”
Economic pressure is compounding unrest. The rial has plummeted from 32,000 to $1 a decade ago to 1.5 million now, decimating savings and increasing hardship for ordinary Iranians. The government has reduced currency subsidies and offers the equivalent of $7 per month to most citizens to cover rising costs.
Iran’s network of proxy groups, the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” spanning Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, has weakened after Israel’s strikes in Gaza and the fall of Syria’s Bashar Assad in 2024. Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah have issued warnings about potential retaliation, with Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Kassem stressing preparedness but withholding operational details.
Analysts warn that any U.S. military action would likely focus on degrading Iranian military capabilities rather than prolonged intervention, though tensions remain at a historic high, with the risk of wider regional escalation looming.