Iran protests draw swift crackdown as U.S. calls on Tehran to respect “rights of the Iranian people”

Tehran — Iran’s prosecutor general said Wednesday that economic protests that have gripped the country were legitimate, but he warned that any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a “decisive response,” as the Islamic Republic’s rulers tried to clamp down on a fourth day of unrest. “Peaceful livelihood protests are part of social and understandable realities,” Mohammad Movahedi-Azad told state media after protests started by shopkeepers in the capital city Tehran, which were joined by students and others in several cities across the country. “Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” warned Movahedi-Azad. His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency of Iran’s arch-foe Israel posted on social media that it was “with you on the ground,” in a message to Iranian protesters. Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “go out into the streets together.”In a post shared via its own Farsi language account on X, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it was “deeply concerned by reports and videos that peaceful protesters in Iran are facing intimidation, violence, and arrests.””Demanding basic rights is not a crime. The Islamic Republic must respect the rights of the Iranian people and end the repression,” the U.S. government said in the post. “First the bazaars. Then the students. Now the whole country. Iranians are united. Different lives, one demand: respect our voices and our rights,” the State Department said in a subsequent post. The protests come amid mounting tension between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump said he had heard, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Iran could be attempting to rebuild its nuclear program following the unprecedented U.S. strikes on its enrichment facilities in June. Mr. Trump warned that if Iran did try to rebuild, “we’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”On Tuesday, Iran’s president said Tehran would respond “to any cruel aggression” with unspecified “harsh and discouraging” measures. The protests, driven by dissatisfaction at Iran’s economic stagnation and galloping hyperinflation, began Sunday in Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, where shopkeepers shuttered their businesses. They gained momentum through Tuesday, with students at 10 universities in the capital and in other cities, including Iran’s most prestigious institutions, joining in. Nevertheless, the protests remain limited in number and concentrated in central Tehran, with shops elsewhere in the sprawling metropolis of 10 million people unaffected. And the government appeared to be cracking down on the unrest, both on the streets with a heavy security presence, and by declaring a last-minute holiday to prompt the closure of schools and businesses. Iran’s economy has been in the doldrums for years, with heavy U.S. and international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program weighing heavily on it. The currency, the rial, has also plunged in recent months, losing more than a third of its value against the U.S. dollar since last year.Videos posted on social media have shown crowds chanting anti-government slogans as they marched through the streets, while others show security forces using tear gas and purportedly live ammunition. CBS News has not been able to independently verify the video clips posted online, some of which show heavily armed security forces appearing to detain multiple people, including students, and others in which apparent gunfire can be heard.The Guild Council of the University of Tehran said six students were detained but later released. There were unconfirmed reports that at least one student was severely injured during a confrontation with security services in Tehran. A last-minute holidayThe streets of Tehran were calm early Wednesday, a change from the usual chaotic and choking traffic, after authorities announced a national holiday with just a day’s notice. Many schools, banks and public institutions were closed, with officials saying the directive was due to the cold weather and the need to save energy.The capital’s prestigious Beheshti and Allameh Tabataba’i universities announced that classes would be held online throughout next week for the same reason, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. The authorities did not link the bank holiday to the protests. Tehran is experiencing daytime temperatures near the freezing mark, which is not unusual for this time of year. Weekends in Iran begin on Thursdays, while this Saturday marks a long-standing national holiday. Iran is no stranger to nationwide protests, but the latest demonstrations have not come close to the last major outbreak in 2022, which was triggered by the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman. Her death in custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the nation’s strict dress code for women sparked a wave of anger across the country. Several hundred people were killed, including dozens of members of the security forces, who waged a dramatic crackdown in response, arresting hundreds of people. There were also widespread protests in 2019, sparked by a sharp increase in the price of petrol.

Read More