Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, said he was certain that the collapse of the Islamic Republic was inevitable and that he was “uniquely” placed to lead the country after the unrest.
The US-based opposition leader called on the world to join Iranian protesters to hasten the process of the collapse of Khamenei’s regime and “prevent more loss of life".
He said the foreign government did not require “boots on the ground” but only “targeted intervention”.
It came as the European Union has urged civilian airlines to avoid Iranian airspace due to the “high risk” of a flight being misidentified as a US attack.
The threat of US military action has left Iranian air defence on a heightened state of alert, meaning the possibility of wrongful identification has grown, the EU’s aviation regulator (EASA) said.
The protests, which have largely died down, saw more than 2,400 demonstrators killed by regime forces.
Trump has struck a conciliatory note and thanked Iran’s leader for not executing detained protesters, in a sign he may be backing away from a military strike.
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Key Points
- Death toll in Iran protests over 3,000, rights group says
- Reza Pahlavi says he is ‘uniquely’ placed to head a successor government
- EU urges European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace
- Trump thanks Iran for 'cancelling executions'
- Pentagon reinforces US military presence in Middle East amid rising tensions
- 'The regime will fall' and can fall sooner with international support, says Reza Pahlavi
- Trump envoy says 'all options on table' to support Iranian protesters
Iran protests largely suppressed
08:00 , Shweta SharmaLarge-scale protests in Iran appear to have been suppressed in many cities and towns following a deadly crackdown and a heavy police presence.
A tense calm has returned as a senior hard-line cleric called for the death penalty for detained protesters and issued direct threats against US president Donald Trump.
The New York Times and the Associated Press reported that streets are mostly quiet after the use of force that has left several thousand people dead.
No large-scale protests have been documented in Iran since Sunday, according to Arina Moradi and Mina Khani of the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which has been monitoring the demonstrations since they began.
A sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a senior Iranian cleric, broadcast on state radio, prompted chants from worshippers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death".
Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council known for his hard-line views, described the protesters as “butlers” of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers”, adding that Netanyahu and Trump should expect “hard revenge from the system".
Kurdish separatist group claims to have mounted ‘armed operations' in Iran to defend protesters
07:00 , Alex CroftAn Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Iraq said it has launched attacks on Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in recent days in retaliation for Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests.
Members of the National Army of Kurdistan, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, have “played a role in the protests through both financial support and armed operations to defend protesters when needed,” Jwansher Rafati, a PAK representative, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Iranian media has previously accused the group and other Kurdish factions of attacking security forces.
Read more here:
Kurdish separatist group claims to have mounted ‘armed operations' in Iran to defend protesters
Death toll in Iran protests over 3,000, rights group says
06:39 , Shweta SharmaMore than 3,000 people have died in Iran’s nationwide protests, rights activists said on Saturday, as internet monitoring groups reported a “very slight rise” in online activity following an eight-day blackout.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified 3,090 deaths, including 2,885 protesters. Residents said a sweeping security crackdown appeared to have largely quelled demonstrations for now, while state media reported further arrests.
Tehran has been comparatively quiet for four days, according to several residents contacted by Reuters. Drones were flying over the capital, but there were no signs of major protests on Thursday or Friday, said the residents, who requested anonymity for safety reasons.
A resident of a northern city on the Caspian Sea said streets there also appeared calm.
“Metrics show a very slight rise in internet connectivity in #Iran this morning” after about 200 hours of shutdown, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said in a post on X, adding that connectivity remained at around 2% of normal levels.
Iran journalist breaks down in tears as she reads out names of those killed in protests
06:02 , Alex CroftFamily forced to smuggle body of fashion student for burial after being refused by authorities
05:00 , Alex CroftThe family of a 23-year-old protester were forced to smuggle her body out of the morgue after she was shot dead by security forces at a protest.
Robina Aminian, a fashion student, joined a demonstration on 8 January and died after being shot in the head.
Her family were forced to smuggle her body out of the building for a burial after authorities refused permission.
“Amene [Aminian’s mother], who is one of the bravest members of our family, wailed loudly, but was determined to bring her baby home,” her relative Hali Norei told The Guardian.
“She picked her up in her arms and was forced to steal her own child’s body; she drove back home with her on her lap.”
Authorities demanding money in return for protesters' bodies, says BBC
04:00 , Alex CroftFamilies of dead protesters are being forced to fork out large sums of money in return for the bodies of their loved ones, multiple sources told BBC Persia.
At least 2,435 people have been killed in a fortnight of protests across the country.
One person said security forces demanded 700 million tomans ($5,000 or £3,700) to release the body of their loved one, being held at Poursina Hospital.
A family in Tehran said they were asked to pay a billion tomans ($7,000 or £5,200) for their loved one, a Kurdish seasonal construction worker.
They were unable to afford the cost with construction workers earning around $100 a month, according to the report.
Iran protests largely suppressed
03:36 , Shweta SharmaLarge-scale protests in Iran appear to have been suppressed in many cities and towns following a deadly crackdown and a heavy police presence.
A tense calm has returned as a senior hard-line cleric called for the death penalty for detained protesters and issued direct threats against US president Donald Trump.
The New York Times and the Associated Press reported that streets are mostly quiet after the use of force that has left several thousand people dead.
No large-scale protests have been documented in Iran since Sunday, according to Arina Moradi and Mina Khani of the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which has been monitoring the demonstrations since they began.
A sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a senior Iranian cleric, broadcast on state radio, prompted chants from worshippers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death".
Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council known for his hard-line views, described the protesters as “butlers” of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump’s soldiers”, adding that Netanyahu and Trump should expect “hard revenge from the system".
Reza Pahlavi says he is ‘uniquely’ placed to head a successor government
03:30 , Shweta SharmaReza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former pro-Western monarch, has said he is well placed to lead a successor government following the fall of the Khamenei administration.
“The Iranian people are taking decisive actions on the ground. It is now time for the international community to join them fully,” he said at a news conference in Washington.
“What they need from the world is resolute, targeted support to protect lives, amplify their voices and hasten the collapse that is already on the way,” he added.
“But let me be clear: with or without the world’s help, the regime will fall. It will fall sooner, and more lives will be saved if the world turns its words into action.”
Pahlavi said 12,000 protesters had been killed over a 48-hour period during a bloody security crackdown on nationwide demonstrations that began on 28 December, though human rights groups have reported lower - but still thousands - in fatalities.
“I am uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition,” he said. “That’s the verdict delivered loudly and clearly by the people in the face of bullets.”
Iran restores SMS services, state media says
03:02 , Shweta SharmaIranian state media reported that SMS services have been restored for mobile phone operators across the country.
The internet has been shut down in Iran since 8 January, after the Islamic Republic imposed a digital blackout as authorities launched a crackdown on protesters.
On Saturday, Iran International reported that authorities had allowed the sending and receiving of SMS messages.
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout continues after widespread anti-regime protests
03:00 , Alex CroftDonald Trump continues to threaten the use of military action in Iran after a deadly crackdown on protests appeared to have quelled threats to the regime.
At least 2,637 have been reported killed, according to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency and around 20,000 have been arrested.
Some experts suggest that the numbers are a gross underestimate and that up to 12,000 to 20,000 people could have been killed in the repression, according to CBS. The death toll includes at least 135 security personnel.
Buildings, buses and shops were burned to the ground, turning Iran’s capital Tehran into a “war zone” as protests broke out nationwide a fortnight ago.
Our foreign reporters Maira Butt and James Reynolds report:
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout continues after anti-regime protests
Exiled Iranian Crown Prince decries ‘mass crimes’ of Islamic Republic to Washington crowd
02:01 , Alex CroftNew Zealand diplomatic staff leaves Iran
00:01 , Alex CroftNew Zealand has "temporarily" closed its embassy in Tehran, Iran, and moved consular operations to Ankara, Turkey, officials in Wellington said on Friday.
All New Zealand diplomatic staff left Iran on commercial flights during the past day, New Zealand's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The move followed remarks on Thursday by foreign minister Winston Peters, who said his government was "appalled by the escalation of violence and repression" in Iran.
"We condemn the brutal crackdown being carried out by Iran's security forces, including the killing of protesters," Peters posted on X.
The foreign ministry repeated official advice Friday that New Zealanders should avoid travel to Iran and "leave now" if they were already there.
They said the ability of New Zealand's government to provide consular help to the country's citizens in Iran was "extremely limited”.
US accuses South Africa of 'cosying up' to Iran
Friday 16 January 2026 23:00 , Alex CroftThe US has accused South Africa’s defence ministry of “cosying up” to Iran after Iranian warships conducted naval exercises in the country’s waters.
“South Africa can't lecture the world on 'justice' while cozying up to Iran,” the US said in a statement on Friday.
In response, South Africa’s defence ministry said it was launching an inquiry to investigate the “serious allegations”.
Son of British couple detained in Iran fears they have been abandoned by UK as regime packs jails with protesters
Friday 16 January 2026 22:29 , Alex CroftThe son of a British couple detained in Iran has said that his parents have been crammed into cells with protesters and offered no clear plan for their release after the embassy closed abruptly over fears of an imminent US attack.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while travelling in Iran last January and subsequently charged with espionage, which they deny. They have been held in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison for more than a year.
Ms Foreman’s son, Joe Bennett, said they are living in “hell on repeat”, with cells “overcrowded” because of Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests.
“It’s beyond imagination,” he told The Independent. “They wake up with rats in their beds. They’ve got rats in the kitchen. It sounds like hell on earth.”
“More have been piled into the rooms so there’s not as much space,” he said, adding that his mother is “not leaving her bed at the moment because there's just either no room or she doesn't feel up to it”.
James C Reynolds reports:
Son of British couple detained in Iran fears they have been abandoned by UK
'All options on table to stop slaughter in Iran' says US ambassador to UN
Friday 16 January 2026 21:49 , Alex CroftMossad director visits US for Iran consultations, according to reports - ICYMI
Friday 16 January 2026 21:17 , Alex CroftThe director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency David Barnea arrived in the US on Friday to discuss the ongoing unrest in Iran, according to reports by Axios.
He is expected to meet White House special envoy Steve Witkoff who is overseeing communication between the US and Iran.
Trump thanks Iran for 'cancelling executions'
Friday 16 January 2026 20:44 , Alex CroftDonald Trump has thanked Iran for cancelling 800 executions of protesters which he said had been scheduled.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” the US president wrote on Truth Social.
Iran has not publicly announced plans for such executions or said it had cancelled them.
EU urges European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace
Friday 16 January 2026 20:12 , Alex CroftThe European Union's aviation regulator urged the bloc's airlines to avoid flying in Iran's airspace in an advisory issued on Friday.
"The presence and possible use of a wide range of weapons and air-defence systems, combined with unpredictable state responses .... creates a high risk to civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels." the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a bulletin on potential conflict zones.
With ongoing tensions and the potential for U.S. military action, which has placed Iranian air defence forces on a heightened state of alert, there is an increased likelihood of misidentification within Iranian airspace, the advisory said.
Iran protesters latched onto Trump's message 'help is on its way' – but none came
Friday 16 January 2026 19:40 , Alex CroftProtests die down but some unrest remains
Friday 16 January 2026 19:08 , Alex CroftDespite reports that the protests have largely died down in Iran, there are still indications of unrest in some areas.
Norway-based Kurdish human rights group Hengaw reported that a female nurse was killed by direct gunfire from government forces during protests in Karaj, west of Tehran.
The state-affiliated Tasnim news outlet reported that rioters had set fire to a local education office in Falavarjan County, in central Isfahan Province, on Thursday.
An elderly resident of a town in Iran's northwestern region, where many Kurdish Iranians live and which has been the focus for many of the biggest flare-ups, said sporadic protests had continued, though not as intensely.
Describing violence earlier in the protests, she said: "I have not seen scenes like that before."
Video circulating online, which Reuters was able to verify as having been recorded in a forensic medical center in Tehran, showed dozens of bodies lying on floors and stretchers, most in bags but some uncovered. Reuters could not verify the date of the video.
Pictured: Supporters of Reza Pahlavi rally in Rome
Friday 16 January 2026 18:44 , Daniel Keane
Full report: Iran’s exiled crown prince says ‘the slaughter of protesters has not stopped’ in fresh appeal to Trump
Friday 16 January 2026 18:21 , Alex CroftIran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has accused the Tehran regime of killing an Iranian protester “every 14 seconds” as he declared the “slaughter has not stopped”.
Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah, said that the Islamic Republic “will fall soon” and called on the international community to support the Iranian people in the face of a brutal crackdown.
His comments came after the US moved the nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the Middle East, a signal of mounting tensions between Washington and Iran.
Trump has warned the regime to halt the killing of protesters but appeared to step back from military action earlier this week, saying he had received assurances that planned executions were not taking place.
Read the full report:
Iran’s exiled crown prince says ‘the slaughter of protesters has not stopped’
Iran journalist in tears at UN over protest deaths
Friday 16 January 2026 17:57 , Alex CroftPahlavi says Iranians face 'dire conditions'
Friday 16 January 2026 17:00 , Daniel KeaneReza Pahlavi, eldest son of the last shah of Iran, spoke to Independent Persian about his vision for Iran’s future. Pahlavi’s name is being chanted in some of the streets of major Iranian cities including Tehran and Mashhad, as part of anti-government protests that have shaken Iran.
“The process of rebuilding the country and climbing out of the deep pit this regime has unfortunately created – and the dire living conditions people face – requires a sound approach: a healthy economy, transparency, and the involvement of competent professionals,” says Pahlavi.
When questioned about how long it might take to see a regime change in Iran, he is emphatic: “The sooner, the better. People want to be free as soon as possible.”
Pahlavi reiterates commitment to 'cordial relations' with Israel
Friday 16 January 2026 16:03 , Maira ButtReza Pahlavi has said he has “pride” in being the descendant of Cyrus the Great who helped rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and confirmed he is committed to establishing “cordial relations” with Israel.
He said he visited Israel two years ago and would like to create the “Cyrus Accords” in a similar vein to Trump’s Abraham Accords, which attempted to normalise relations with Israel in the region.
The Islamic Republic has persistently rejected attempts to work with Israel due to differences over the rights of Palestinians. Their position is part of their role in the “Axis of Resistance”, formed of countries united by opposition to US and Israeli influence.
Watch: Exiled Iranian Crown Prince decries ‘mass crimes’ of Islamic Republic to Washington crowd
Friday 16 January 2026 15:45 , Maira Butt'Iran will not be a failed state'
Friday 16 January 2026 15:35 , Maira ButtThe exiled son of the late Shah has promised that the country will not fall or collapse amid a regime change.
“Iran will not be a failed state,” Reza Pahlavi says as he explained that plans were in place for a stable transition to ensure that the country’s political system and economy would not collapse.
Tens of thousands defecting from security forces, says Pahlavi
Friday 16 January 2026 15:31 , Maira ButtReza Pahlavi has said that tens of thousands of Iranians are contacting him to apply for support to defect.
He said that this indicates the regime is on the verge of collapse.
'Confident of support of my compatriots', says Pahlavi
Friday 16 January 2026 15:30 , Maira ButtAsked about Donald Trump’s suggestions that he lacks support within his own country, Reza Pahlavi has said that he believes the protests show that his support in Iran is huge.
“I am confident of the support of my compatriots,” he says.
Pahlavi addresses Trump-Witkoff meeting options
Friday 16 January 2026 15:26 , Maira ButtReza Pahlavi has been asked if he has met with President Donald Trump and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“These are sensitive times, I am not going to discuss the details of who I have met with,” he said.
“I believe Trump is a man of his word and will stand with the Iranian people as he has said.”
Plan in place for 'peaceful transition'
Friday 16 January 2026 15:22 , Maira ButtThe exiled son of the last Shah of Iran told a press conference in Washington: “I will return to Iran. I am uniquely positioned to ensure a stable transition.”
He asked the world for six things including protecting the Iranian people, ensuring maximum economic pressure, ensuring unrestricted internet access, expelling Iranian diplomats, demanding the release of political prisoners and preparing for a democratic transition.
'The regime will fall' and can fall 'sooner' with world's support, says Pahlavi
Friday 16 January 2026 15:16 , Maira Butt“The regime will fall,” says Reza Pahlavi, but it will fall “sooner” with the help of the world.
“Stand with the people now or watch the cycle of instability continue,” he continued.
He urged the international community: “My brave compatriots... need your urgent help right now.”
Iranian authorities 'hunting' protesters in hospitals to kill in 'cold blood', says Pahlavi
Friday 16 January 2026 15:13 , Maira ButtThe son of the former Shah, Reza Pahlavi, has accused the Iranian government of “hunting” protesters in hospitals to kill in “cold blood”.
He said over 12,000 people have been killed in brutal crackdowns on demonstrators.
'The people have called on me to lead', says Reza Pahlavi accusing Iranian government of 'slaughter'
Friday 16 January 2026 15:11 , Maira ButtReza Pahlavi has claimed that the Iranian people have called on him to lead the country.
He said the Islamic Republic “will fall” accusing the government of being a “hostile, occupying force”.
Reza Pahlavi to speak shortly in Washington DC
Friday 16 January 2026 15:01 , Daniel KeaneThe self-declared shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi is expected to speak at a press conference in Washington D.C. shortly.
Pahlavi’s name has been chanted through the streets of major Iranian cities during recent protests which have rocked the country and threatened the regime.
Pahlavi is the eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran before he was overthrown and the monarchy was abolished during the Iranian Revolution led by Ruhollah Khomeini.
He has pledged to bring democracy to the country, but there is doubt over whether he retains the popular support to lead Iran.
Watch: Iran journalist in tears at UN over protest deaths
Friday 16 January 2026 14:30 , Daniel KeaneSon of British couple detained in Iran fears they have been abandoned by UK as regime packs jails with protesters
Friday 16 January 2026 14:00 , Maira ButtThe son of a British couple detained in Iran has said that his parents have been crammed into cells with protesters and offered no clear plan for their release after the embassy closed abruptly over fears of an imminent US attack.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while travelling in Iran last January and subsequently charged with espionage, which they deny. They have been held in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison for more than a year.
Ms Foreman’s son, Joe Bennett, said they are living in “hell on repeat”, with cells “overcrowded” because of Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests.
“It’s beyond imagination,” he told The Independent. “They wake up with rats in their beds. They’ve got rats in the kitchen. It sounds like hell on earth.”
“More have been piled into the rooms so there’s not as much space,” he said, adding that his mother is “not leaving her bed at the moment because there's just either no room or she doesn't feel up to it”.
James C Reynolds reports:
Son of British couple detained in Iran fears they have been abandoned by UK
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout continues after widespread anti-regime protests
Friday 16 January 2026 13:30 , Maira ButtDonald Trump continues to threaten the use of military action in Iran after a deadly crackdown on protests appeared to have quelled threats to the regime.
At least 2,637 have been reported killed, according to the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency and around 20,000 have been arrested.
Some experts suggest that the numbers are a gross underestimate and that up to 12,000 to 20,000 people could have been killed in the repression, according to CBS. The death toll includes at least 135 security personnel.
Buildings, buses and shops were burned to the ground, turning Iran’s capital Tehran into a “war zone” as protests broke out nationwide a fortnight ago.
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout continues after anti-regime protests
US accuses South Africa of 'cosying up' to Iran
Friday 16 January 2026 13:00 , Maira ButtThe US has accused South Africa’s defence ministry of “cosying up” to Iran after Iranian warships conducted naval exercises in the country’s waters.
“South Africa can't lecture the world on 'justice' while cozying up to Iran,” the US said in a statement on Friday.
In response, South Africa’s defence ministry said it was launching an inquiry to investigate the “serious allegations”.
In pictures: Solidarity protests across the world for Iran
Friday 16 January 2026 12:30 , Maira Butt
Mossad director visits US for Iran consultations, according to reports
Friday 16 January 2026 12:00 , Maira ButtThe director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency David Barnea arrived in the US on Friday to discuss the ongoing unrest in Iran, according to reports by Axios.
He is expected to meet White House special envoy Steve Witkoff who is overseeing communication between the US and Iran.
Iran state TV broadcasts Trump threat with picture of Butler assassination attempt: ‘This time it won’t miss’
Friday 16 January 2026 11:31 , Maira ButtIranian state TV aired footage of an ominous threat to Donald Trump, after the US president threatened to take military action against the ayatollah’s regime.
A mourner at a ceremony for Iranian security forces killed in the recent unrest held up a sign with a picture of Trump after he narrowly survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024.
The writing in Farsi underneath warned: “This time it won’t miss.”
The footage was broadcast on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) channel, a state-controlled network in Iran. IRINN could not be reached for comment.
Iran TV broadcasts ominous threat to Trump with picture of assassination attempt
Watch: Iran journalist breaks down in tears as she reads out names of those killed in protests at UN meeting
Friday 16 January 2026 11:00 , Maira ButtShabnoor Irshad reports:
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad broke down in tears at the United Nations on Thursday (15 January) as she read out the names of people she said were killed during protests in Iran.
Ms Alinejad recounted the deaths of victims who she said were shot by members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Struggling to continue, she said she felt guilty for not naming everyone who had been killed, adding that “the list of names goes on and on”.
She said protesters knew they would face guns and bullets but continued to demand justice.
Addressing the international community, Ms Alinejad urged governments to move beyond what she called “empty condemnation,” saying she no longer believes the Islamic Republic can be reformed and should not be treated as a legitimate government.
Putin speaks with Israeli PM Netanyahu and Iran president Pezeshkian to 'de-escalate'
Friday 16 January 2026 10:30 , Maira ButtRussian president Vladimir Putin has spoken to Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, the Kremlin said in a statement.
It follows an earlier discussion with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Russian leader will continue to de-escalate the situation in the region.
Netanyahu asked Trump to postpone attack on Iran
Friday 16 January 2026 10:00 , Maira ButtIsraeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Donald Trump to postpone plans to attack Iran, a senior US official said on Thursday, according to the New York Times.
Executions of around 800 protesters were reportedly stayed following the intervention from Israel and other countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.
But the White House insists that Trump will continue to “keep all of this options on the table”.
Trump talked out of Iran strike at 'last minute'
Friday 16 January 2026 09:30 , Maira ButtDonald Trump was talked out of attacking Iran at the last-minute, according to officials involved in the protest.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman “led a long, frantic, last-minute diplomatic effort” to stop a US strike, a senior Saudi official told AFP.
“It was a sleepless night to defuse more bombs in the region,” the official said, adding that talks remained ongoing in order “to consolidate the gained trust and the current good spirit”.
Trump envoy says 'all options on table' to support Iranian protesters
Friday 16 January 2026 06:13 , Namita SinghThe United States stands by the “brave people of Iran,” and President Donald Trump "has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter," US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters in Iran, where thousands of people have been reported killed in a crackdown on the protests against clerical rule.
But on Thursday, Trump adopted a wait‑and‑see posture, saying he had been told that the killings were easing and that he believed there was no current plan for large-scale executions.
President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter.
Waltz dismissed allegations by Iran that the protests are "a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action”.
"Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before, and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets. They are afraid. They're afraid of their own people," Waltz said.
Iran's deputy UN ambassador Gholamhossein Darzi said Iran does not seek escalation or confrontation and accused Waltz of resorting "to lies, distortion of facts, and a deliberate misinformation campaign to conceal his country’s direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence”.
