What to know about potential U.S. intervention in Iranian protests
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Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran on Jan. 9. Photo: MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images
Weeks into protests in Iran, President Trump has indicated he could soon intervene in favor of protesters, pressuring a regime already reeling from street uprisings.
Why it matters: The stakes are life and death in Iran and escalating. More than 540 protesters have been killed, reports said, and the regime has blocked internet access.
Driving the news: As of Sunday, Trump was considering several options to support protests and squeeze the regime, ranging from sanctions to potential military action.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reached out to White House envoy Steve Witkoff over the weekend, seemingly in an effort to deescalate or buy more time.
Context: Protests in Iran were spurred by economic grievances. Some demonstrators now also demand regime change.
- Excessive sanctions and Iran's reliance on imports have driven up prices and inflation. The Iranian rial plunged to a record low in late December.
Death toll rises
By the numbers: Two weeks into the nationwide protests, more than 10,600 people have been arrested and sent to prisons, according to the Human Rights Activist News Agency.
- "Protests have taken place at 585 locations across the country, in 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces," HRANA said.
Threat level: HRANA reported 544 deaths as of Sunday with dozens more under review.
- The dead included 483 protesters, 47 military or law enforcement, eight children, five non-protesting bystanders and one prosecutor.
Zoom out: A UN-mandated human rights mission on Saturday demanded Iran restore internet and phone access immediately and end the violence against protesters.
Trump's potential intervention
What we're watching: On Saturday, Trump said his administration is ready to help protesters.
- Those remarks went further than previous ones, suggesting the U.S. could intervene regardless of violence from the regime.
The other side: The Iranian government, meanwhile, proposed to negotiate a nuclear deal.
- Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, threatened to retaliate against the U.S. if Trump intervened. He said the U.S. military and Israel would be deemed "legitimate targets" for strikes.
Flashback: On Jan. 2, Trump said the U.S. would intervene in Iran if the government violently killed protesters.
- "We are locked and ready to go," he wrote on Truth Social.
Protest in photos
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