Iran is not backing down on its insistence that rioters must be held to account, while at the same time asserting the right of citizens to publicly express their dissent. Iran is still standing by this position despite President Donald Trump’s threat that Tehran would suffer if more people were to be killed among the rioting crowds.
In a United Nations and world-wide media address, the Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i called upon the prosecutors of the nation’s provinces and cities to exercise firmness against the causators of the nation’s instability. “I urge the Attorney General and the prosecutors across the nation to comply with the law and demonstrate resolve against the rioters and their supporters…Display no leniency and indulgence towards them,” Ejei said, addressing Mizan News, the judiciary’s news agency.
The economic protests, which began as an outpouring over higher prices and the rial’s plummeting value, have spread to 23 out of 31 Iranian provinces and at least 45 cities. According to official reports, at least 12 people, including security forces, have lost their lives since the protests erupted on Dec. 28. Most Iranian provinces are only witnessing smaller protests, while Tehran has been witnessing strikes and store closings but appears to be regaining normalcy.
A recent statement from President Trump on Jan 5, when he was on board the presidential plane, Air Force One, indicated that the US government is also watching the events in Iran and warned that if the government continues killing its own citizens, they will soon be ‘hit hard’ by the US. The sanctioning on the government of Iran has continued to affect the country’s economy since the value of its currency, the rial, has fallen by over a third over the past year, and the inflation rate remains in double figures. The government has since introduced a benefit payment meant for each citizen, which approximates 3.5 percent of the average wage.
The conflict has also gained international attention. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity with the Iranian protesters, whereas Tehran claims that Israeli attempts to take advantage of the disturbances to break the unity of the country exist. The Iranian police announced that it has arrested weapons and ingredients for explosives from the rioters.
However, Tehran’s shops are largely reopened, and the universities are now holding online classes. According to reformist publications, the government has finally started listening to the protesters, whereas the conservative publications are blaming outside interference for the protests. Iranian exile groups are also taking to the streets.
