Iran has activated its underground “missile cities” and placed security forces on maximum alert as nationwide protests against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered their second week, with at least 65 people, including nine children, reportedly killed and more than 2,300 arrested, according to rights groups.
Demonstrators across nearly 300 towns and cities have chanted slogans such as “Death to Khamenei!” while authorities deployed tear gas and, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, opened fire in some areas, as a sweeping internet blackout heightened fears of a hidden crackdown.
President Trump warned Tehran against using deadly force, saying on Truth Social that “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” and adding, “If they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved… You better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too.” Iranian officials, including prosecutor-general Mohammad Movahedi Azad, have threatened harsh punishments, while Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi warned the blackout could be used to carry out a “massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout,” as international leaders urged Iran to protect civilians and allow peaceful assembly.