US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that killings in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and he believed there was no plan for large-scale executions of protesters, as analysts and diplomats warned of possible risks from a US military intervention.
Trump’s comments during an Oval Office event come as fears have escalated in the Middle East that the United States could launch strikes on Iran, following the U.S. president’s repeated threats to intervene on behalf of protesters. He did not rule out possible U.S. military intervention, however.
Why Has Donald Trump Changed His Tone On Iran Protests?
Some experts and regional diplomats warn that military intervention could backfire by smothering protests, fueling an intensified crackdown on those who participated and triggering retaliatory Iranian missile attacks on U.S. bases in the Middle East.
In a more extreme scenario, several said, U.S. strikes might hasten the government’s collapse, possibly unleashing chaos across the nation of 90 million, encouraging insurgencies by minority Kurdish and Baluch separatists and leaving Iran’s nuclear and missile programs unsecured.
Iran Protests: What Is The US Assessment?
Still, several U.S. intelligence assessments earlier this week concluded that while the protests posed a serious challenge, the government did not appear close to collapsing, according to four knowledgeable sources.
“We have restive ethnic minorities. We have loose undeclared fissile materials. We have dispersed missile stocks with no command and control, and we have had for over a decade refugee flows … and significant atrocities are happening,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “All the fears that would come with regime change would be expedited.”
The protests appear to be the biggest domestic challenge Iran’s clerical establishment has faced since it took power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with massive crowds demanding the government’s ouster and clashing with security forces.
Iran Protests: Death Toll Rises
An Iranian official has said more than 2,000 people have died since the protests erupted on December 28. A rights group put the number of deaths at more than 2,600. Many experts believe the toll is much higher. Some reports say that death toll has crossed 3400.
The White House and the Iranian delegation to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump on Wednesday said “very important sources on the other side” had reported that killings in Iran’s crackdown were subsiding, and that he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions.
He did not rule out potential U.S. military action, saying “we are going to watch what the process is” before noting the U.S. administration received a “very good statement” from Iran.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Also Read: ‘No Plan For Executions’: Donald Trump Says ‘Killing In Iran Is STOPPING; We’ll Find Out About It’
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
