DUBAI: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted Monday that the protests against the government in the Islamic state had turned violent and deadly enough to serve as an excuse for the United States to militarily enter the country, even as Iranian President Donald Trump admitted that Tehran had invited them to talk following threats from the American leader but also warned that operations could occur prior to the dialogue. This is the worst buildup prior to an incident since the 2022 Iranian protests.
During a speech with foreign diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi acknowledged there had been more violence during the weekend, although asserted “the situation there is totally under control. He added, “The Americans, with the httts they have used, have encouraged the terrorists to target both protesters and the security forces, with the intention of attracting foreign intervention. “We are ready for war, but we are also ready for dialogue. There have been videos showing arms distribution among protesters, which will soon be revealed, along with confessions extracted from protesters arrested,”
The protests, which began on December 28 in response to rising prices, have escalated to anti-government rallies directed at Iran’s clerical regime. HRANA, a human rights organization operating in the United States, reports that at least “490 protesters and 48 members of the security forces” have been killed, with “over 10,660” arrests. These numbers, however, have not been verified or acknowledged by Iran, and Reuters could not confirm them.
There have been some confrontations in some neighborhoods in Tehran like Navvab and Saadat Abad, as well as Junqan and Hafshejan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, as well as Taybad in Mashhad, as per reports from Fars News Agency. However, there have been no reports of any kind of unrest in other parts of the country. Iran has been under an internet shutdown since Thursday. Trump announced that Elon Musk’s internet service via satellite could fix that.
