The president Donald Trump stated this Friday that the United States could intervene in Iran if the regime of the ayatollahs escalates its repression against protesters, amid massive protests, dozens of deaths, and a near-total blockade of internet access in the country.
In the context of a meeting with executives from major oil companies at the White House, Trump referred to the internal situation in Iran and issued a direct warning to the Islamic regime.
"Iran is in serious trouble. It seems that people are taking certain cities that no one thought were actually possible... We are watching," he stated.
He added that his government is closely monitoring the events and was explicit in drawing a red line.
"I have made it very clear that if they start killing people as they have in the past, we will get involved," he declared, in what analysts interpret as a direct signal of pressure amid the escalation of anti-government protests.
The statements from the U.S. leader come as protests in Iran reach nearly two weeks and have spread to over a hundred cities, initially driven by the economic crisis, the collapse of the rial, and inflation, but with a growing political tone against the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to human rights organizations, at least 51 people have died during the protests, including nine minors, while more than 2,200 individuals have been detained.
The Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights warned that the actual death toll could be higher due to the difficulties in verifying cases on the ground.
At the same time, Iranian authorities ordered an almost total shutdown of global internet access, leaving the country practically cut off from the outside world.
Monitoring platforms like NetBlocks confirmed a nationwide digital blackout, a measure aimed at preventing the dissemination of images and testimonies of repression.
Trump's warning coincides with a joint condemnation from European leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer "strongly" condemned the killings of protesters and called for moderation from Tehran, as well as respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The international pressure has also been strengthened by the explicit support for the Iranian protesters from Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the Tehran government has responded with a heavy deployment of security forces, raids on universities, the use of tear gas, and mass arrests.
For many observers, the internet shutdown and repression resemble strategies used by other authoritarian regimes in response to social unrest.
In the Iranian case, the combination of economic crisis, international isolation, and sustained protests has placed the country in one of its tensest moments in recent years, now under the explicit threat of possible U.S. intervention.
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