WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Iranian government’s brutal and violent crackdown on protests that have rocked the nation for weeks has quelled open resistance to the regime that has blamed the United States for now, raising questions about what will happen next and what the United States’ level of involvement will be.
The protests, sparked by a collapsing economy and collapse of the value of its currency that spread to a mass antigovernment movement, have been interrupted by a communications blackout with access to internet cut off and stern warnings sent through state-affiliated media. Thousands of people were killed in a brutal crackdown with the highest death toll in decades that spurred international condemnation and threats of grave consequences at the hands of the American military.
President Donald Trump has threatened for the U.S. to intervene by force if the Iranian government did not back off the violent outbursts in response to the protests, though he has not yet authorized any strikes after urgings from Israel and other Arab nations along with a concession from Iran to cancel planned executions.
Earlier this month, Trump said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” to protect the protesters that he hoped would take over government institutions. He has backed off the military threats and suggested he was open to dealing with the issue diplomatically.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed in speeches and social media posts the widespread protests were foreign-backed meddling meant to “devour Iran.”
“From the beginning of the Islamic Revolution until today, the US has lost its dominance over Iran. And they want to bring Iran under their military, political & economic domination again. This isn’t [solely] related to the current US president either!” he wrote. “Its a general US Policy.”
Iran has warned that any aggression toward the supreme leader would constitute, “all-out war,” which comes as Trump has said it is time for a regime change in Tehran. The president told Politico on Saturday that it’s “time to look for new leadership.”
“What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “In order to keep the country functioning, even though that function is a very low level, the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”
Recent polling has indicated Americans are opposed to the U.S. taking military action against Iran. A Quinnipiac University survey found 70% oppose military involvement, even if protesters are killed. Opposition mostly fell along partisan lines, with 79% of Democrats and 80% of independents against it, while 53% of Republicans approving.
Americans are also split on whether the U.S. has “moral responsibilities” in Iran, according to a CBS News poll, with 47% agreeing and 53% saying the country doesn’t.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., questioned why more people aren’t taking to the streets in support of the Iranian people’s cause against the regime in an interview with KATV.
“All the people who are marching in the streets condemning the United States and condemning Israel are curiously silent now, when the Ayatollahs are massacring their own people,” he said.
He also pointed to college campuses, where demonstrations were widespread during the height of the war in Gaza and caused all sorts of issues for students and administrators. The truce between Israel and Hamas reached last year and restrictions from school administrators have toned down the environment on campuses.
“On college campuses, where you had students living in tents, protesting their own country, protesting Israel, there are no encampments now,” Cotton said. “Nobody has seized campus buildings. It makes you think they weren’t focused on innocent lives, they were focused on attacking Israel and attacking the United States.”
Those protests have largely faded, which Cotton says is impossible to ignore.
“I think everyone who is decent and fair-minded should speak out in defense of the brave people of Iran,” he said, “who are trying to reclaim the freedom the Ayatollahs have stolen from them.”
There have been a handful of protests in support of the Iranian people’s resistance to the regime, though they have not spread as wide as those in support of Gaza or Ukraine. Thousands gathered in Los Angeles this weekend, while other groups in Boston and New York also marched in support of the Iranian people.
An anti-Iran regime protest earlier this month in LA was interrupted when a man drove a U-Haul box truck down a crowded street with marchers. A sign on the side of the truck read, “No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah,” in reference to a U.S.-backed coup that toppled then-Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. No major injuries were caused in the incident, and the driver is facing charges.
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