Iran protests subside after crackdown, say residents

Iran’s deadly crackdown appears to have largely contained protests in the country for now, according to a human rights group and residents. State media reported more arrests on Friday (16), in the face of threats from the United States (US) to intervene if the killings continue.

After US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats of military action against Iran in support of the protesters, fears of an attack have receded since Wednesday (14), when Trump said he had been informed that deaths in the crackdown were decreasing.

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US allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have conducted intense diplomacy with Washington this week to avoid an attack, warning of consequences for the region that would ultimately affect the United States, a Gulf official said.

The White House reported yesterday that Trump is closely monitoring the situation, adding that the president and his team warned Tehran that there would be “serious consequences” if the deaths linked to the crackdown on protests continued.

Trump understands that 800 scheduled executions have been halted, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, and the president is keeping “all of his options on the table”.

The protests erupted on December 28 over rising inflation in Iran, whose economy has been crippled by sanctions, before turning into one of the biggest challenges ever faced by the clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

With the flow of information from Iran obstructed by an internet blackout, several Tehran residents said the capital had been quiet since Sunday. According to them, drones were flying over the city, where they saw no sign of protests on Thursday or Friday.

The Kurdish-Iranian rights group Hengaw reported that there had been no protest gatherings since Sunday and that “the security environment remains highly restrictive”.

“Our independent sources confirm strong military and security presence in cities and towns where protests have previously taken place, as well as in several locations that have not experienced major demonstrations,” Norway-based Hengaw said in comments to Reuters.

Another resident of a northern town on the Caspian Sea said the streets also appeared calm.

The residents did not want to be identified for security reasons.

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