Iran's nationwide protest movement has slowed significantly under the weight of a brutal crackdown by authorities. The sound of gunfire has largely faded from the streets in Tehran, with relative calm reported as security forces have regained control. In contrast to the weeks-long protests that saw large crowds confront security forces, the current situation is marked by a stark absence of violence.
The slowdown in protests came just two days after US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to "keep protesting" and promised "help is on its way". Intelligence assessments had indicated that the US was preparing to strike Iran, but Trump walked back from the brink of military intervention on Wednesday night, citing reports that killings were stopping and executions had been halted.
However, despite this apparent shift in tone, Iranian authorities have continued to crack down on protesters. State media has aired footage of confessions obtained under coercion and torture, which rights groups say violates the right of defendants to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Protests started after a sudden drop in Iran's currency, and quickly expanded to demands for political reform and an end to the regime.
Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to target corruption and price gouging, which he expects will improve Iranians' purchasing power. The US administration has announced that it is prepared to impose additional restrictive measures on Iran over its handling of the protests. However, analysts say state collapse is unlikely, with Israeli and Arab officials telling the US administration that the Iranian regime was not yet weak enough for American strikes to topple.
As the situation in Iran continues to unfold, concerns are growing about the role of external powers, particularly the US. Social media is filled with Iranians expressing disappointment at Trump's seeming about-face on military intervention, with some depicting him as soft on Iran. The international community remains divided over how to respond to the crisis, with foreign ministers from the G7 announcing plans to impose additional restrictive measures.
In a statement to the UN security council, US ambassador Mike Waltz echoed Trump's sentiments, saying that all options remain on the table for the president. However, Hossein Darzi, Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN, accused the US of attempting to steer unrest in Iran towards violence and interference in the country's internal affairs.
The slowdown in protests came just two days after US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to "keep protesting" and promised "help is on its way". Intelligence assessments had indicated that the US was preparing to strike Iran, but Trump walked back from the brink of military intervention on Wednesday night, citing reports that killings were stopping and executions had been halted.
However, despite this apparent shift in tone, Iranian authorities have continued to crack down on protesters. State media has aired footage of confessions obtained under coercion and torture, which rights groups say violates the right of defendants to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Protests started after a sudden drop in Iran's currency, and quickly expanded to demands for political reform and an end to the regime.
Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to target corruption and price gouging, which he expects will improve Iranians' purchasing power. The US administration has announced that it is prepared to impose additional restrictive measures on Iran over its handling of the protests. However, analysts say state collapse is unlikely, with Israeli and Arab officials telling the US administration that the Iranian regime was not yet weak enough for American strikes to topple.
As the situation in Iran continues to unfold, concerns are growing about the role of external powers, particularly the US. Social media is filled with Iranians expressing disappointment at Trump's seeming about-face on military intervention, with some depicting him as soft on Iran. The international community remains divided over how to respond to the crisis, with foreign ministers from the G7 announcing plans to impose additional restrictive measures.
In a statement to the UN security council, US ambassador Mike Waltz echoed Trump's sentiments, saying that all options remain on the table for the president. However, Hossein Darzi, Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN, accused the US of attempting to steer unrest in Iran towards violence and interference in the country's internal affairs.
. It was looking like he was gonna go full-on nuclear but then realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea 
. But for real, the Iranian protests are getting some serious pushback from the gov't and I'm not surprised. They're trying to silence anyone who's speaking out against the regime 
. It's also super interesting how the US is playing both sides here - on one hand they're saying they're gonna impose sanctions, but on the other they're leaving the door open for a potential strike 
. And can we talk about Trump's tweet game? "Help is on its way" sounds like something out of a bad movie 
. Anyway, I'm curious to see how this all plays out...
i mean trump was all like we gonna help iran and then suddenly he just stops everything? it feels like the whole world is watching this unfold and no one knows what's gonna happen next 
but at the same time, you can't help but wonder if external powers like the us are doing more harm than good 
and that's gotta be frustrating for a lot of people who were counting on him to help 
. trump's about-face is really puzzlin' - one day he's all about help & then next day it's back to "keep protesting" lol what's goin on over there? 
. i hope the world keeps an eye on this situation & doesn't let it get outta hand 
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I'm soooo disappointed in Trump 
! Like, what even is that? 
The people in Iran were already getting hurt and now they think the US is gonna just leave them hanging? 
. And now we got this whole thing with the G7 and everyone being all "well, we should do something" but like, what even is the plan? 
. It was all about exploring hidden cities in Europe, but what really got me was the part where they talked about how some of these cities were like ghost towns because of the economic crisis 
. Like, can you imagine having to navigate a whole city with barely anyone around? It's crazy how different life is just a continent away 
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At least the travel show had normal, decent food, which is more my speed. Anyway, back to Iran...I wonder if they have any decent coffee shops there too 
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I mean, Trump went back on his word like that? You'd think he'd wanna help the people right now. It just seems like the US is all over the place with this one... first it was gonna be a strike and then suddenly nope, all good? 
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. And honestly, I'm not sure what's gonna happen next... it feels like a pretty big risk for Trump to just walk back from military action 
. Can we just hope the protests die down and people can get back to their daily lives without all this drama? 
. The US should be supporting the people of Iran, not trying to control them 
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. And now they're talking about imposing more restrictions? No way, that's just going to make things worse 
️. But for now, it seems like they're on their own 
and then the us is all like "oh no, we need to impose more sanctions!" but like, isn't that just gonna make things worse? 
. I mean Trump thinks he can just waltz in here with some empty threats and expect everything to be alright? Please, the Iranian people have been holding out for so long, they're gonna need more than just words from some billionaire to turn things around 
The thing is, Iranians were already in the middle of protesting and stuff, so now everyone's just waiting for something to pop off again 
meanwhile iranian president pezeshkian saying he wants to target corruption and price gouging which sounds all good but how will that really benefit Iranians? i think the international community needs to step in and help find a peaceful solution instead of imposing more measures 
And let's be real, the Iranian protests are getting more and more violent by the minute 
. I mean, who wants to bomb innocent people just 'cause they're protesting some economic stuff 
? I mean, have you seen those confessions they're airing on state media? 
Sounds super fishy to me 
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