In Iran, the protests against the government have turned more violent and the number of deaths has gone up as the police try to break up the demonstrators in many cities. Various sources have reported that a minimum of 60 people were killed and thousands were arrested during the chaos that spread across the country, which started last year with protests against the high cost of living but then turned into political protests against the Islamic Republic’s rulers. The regime reacted violently and cut off the internet all over the country to make it harder for the demonstrators to communicate with each other. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has labeled the protests as a plan by foreigners to stir up trouble, while at the same time human rights organizations report that there are widespread arrests and violence.
Iran Protests: Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi Calls Trump A ‘Man of Peace,’
During this chaos, the exiled former heir to the Iranian throne, Reza Pahlavi, has taken a very visible and controversial position, beseeching the US president Donald Trump directly for support. Pahlavi called Trump in a social media message ‘man of peace and a man of your word’, asking him to be ready to intervene and help the Iranian people. He put great emphasis on the fact that the demonstrators were in a very dire situation while he talked about them not only being shot at but also being totally cut off by means of communication, which were their only link with the world. Pahlavi was of the opinion that pressure and international backing could still undermine the regime and hence speed up its downfall, prompting the strikers to be determined in their struggle.
Iran Protests: Will Trump Act On This?
The international community’s response indicates to us that there is a lot of concern but at the same time a lot of caution. The president of the United States has stated that he is watching the developments very closely and has even warned the Iranian rulers quite sternly against using force to suppress their people, implying that they should not go too far as this may lead to very serious consequences for them. However, Washington has not yet done anything to show that it is ready to be directly involved nor has it given anyone from the opposition, including Pahlavi, its full support. This cautious approach suggests that the situation involves very complex geopolitical issues since Iran has to deal with both a domestic revolution and superpowers’ international pressure at the same time.
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