Iran: 466 killed, 2,638 detained

*Tehran vows to retaliate if US strikes; blames foreign terrorists for protest

By Nkiruka Nnorom with agency reports

Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the US, even as it blamed foreign powers for the ongoing anti-government protest.

This came as US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, HRANA, yesterday said at least 466 have been killed, with nearly three thousand detained as the protesters defied government crackdown.

US president, Donald Trump, had repeatedly warned that the US would intervene if the Iranian government killed protesters.

It emerged yesterday that the US was considering potential military strikes, according to reports by the New York Times.

The US president has been presented with a range of options, including strikes on non-military sites in Tehran, the New York Times reported, citing multiple US officials.

One option would be “a large-scale aerial strike on multiple Iranian military targets”, Wall Street Journal reported, citing a US official.

Iran vows to retaliate against US strikes, blames foreign-linked powers

But reacting to the US threat, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of Iranian parliament, said the regime would retaliate against any US attack, which would make Israel and regional US bases legitimate targets.
Qalibaf made the threat as MPs in parliament shouted “Death to America!”

Iran’s leaders have previously blamed Washington for the protests.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, had said on Friday that protesters were ruining their own streets to please the president of another country.

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkia, who blamed the protests on foreign-linked powers, however, vowed to listen to the people.

Addressing the protests for the first time in an interview on the economic situation with the regime-linked national media, Pezeshkia said “terrorists” linked to foreign powers were killing people, burning mosques and attacking public property.

Iran’s enemies were looking to “sow chaos and disorder by ordering riots”, he said.

But he also struck a conciliatory tone as he said the Iranian establishment was ready to listen to its people.

He said his government was determined to resolve people’s economic problems, even as he urged citizens to distance themselves from “rioters and terrorists.”

They are trying to “destroy the entire society,” he said.

Iran’s police chief said on state TV that the level of confrontation with protesters had been stepped up, with arrests on Saturday night of what he called key figures.

He blamed a significant proportion of fatalities on trained and directed individuals, not security forces, but did not give specific details.

Crackdown on protesters intensifies with 466 dead

According to HRANA, 466 people have been killed, up from 116 on Saturday, January 10, while 2,638 people have been detained.

‘’Of those killed, 162 are protesters, while 41 are members of the security forces,’’ it said.

The non-government organisation said in their previous update that most victims were killed by live ammunition or pellet gunfire, predominantly from close range.

Staff at several hospitals, according to BBC, said they had been overwhelmed with the injured and dead, with BBC Persian verifying 70 bodies brought to one hospital in Rasht city on Friday night and a health worker reporting around 38 people dying at a Tehran hospital.

Iran’s police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, said on state TV that the level of confrontation with protesters had been stepped up, with arrests on Saturday night of what he called key figures.

He blamed a significant proportion of fatalities on trained and directed individuals, not security forces, but did not give specific details.

“Last night, significant arrests were made of the main elements in the riots, who, God willing, will be punished after going through legal procedures,” Radan said.

Iran’s attorney general had said earlier that those who were caught protesting, or even helping protesters, could be charged with being “an enemy of God” – which is punished with the death penalty.

Iranian government overthrow could end Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis – US ambassador
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has also weighed in on the potential toppling of Iran’s government from the ongoing nationwide protests.

He said the Persian culture of education, art, music and strength could return if “46 years of hateful and incompetent rule” is ended.

‘’It could also spell the end of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,’’ Huckabee said.

The three organisations primarily operate outside of Iran, but in the Middle East: Hamas in Gaza; Hezbollah in Lebanon; and the Houthis in Yemen.

Israel hopes Iran will soon be freed from tyranny – Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has also spoken publicly about the situation in Iran, saying his country was closely monitoring developments in Iran.

Speaking at the start of Israel’s cabinet meeting yesterday, Netanyahu said: “The demonstrations for freedom have spread across the country. The people of Israel and, indeed, the entire world, marvel at the immense bravery of the citizens of Iran. We all hope the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny.”

The protest movement in Iran, now in its second week, is the most significant unrest the country has experienced in years.

It was triggered initially by a sudden slide in the country’s currency, and inflationary pressure, resulting in a spike in food prices.

The protesters are now calling for political reforms and an end to the clerical rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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