A sweeping crackdown on protests across Iran has killed at least 544 people, with fears that the toll could rise further, activists said, as Tehran warned that US and Israeli forces would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington intervenes to protect demonstrators.
More than 10,600 people have been detained over the past two weeks, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has previously provided reliable figures during earlier periods of unrest. The group said 496 of those killed were protesters, while 48 were members of the security forces.
Assessing the scale of the protests has become increasingly difficult due to widespread internet shutdowns and disruptions to phone services. The Associated Press has been unable to independently verify the casualty figures, and Iran has not released official death counts.
Activists outside the country fear the communications blackout has emboldened hard-line elements within Iran’s security apparatus. Demonstrators again took to the streets in Tehran and the country’s second-largest city late Saturday and into Sunday, with online videos suggesting further protests continued into Monday.
US President Donald Trump and his national security team are considering a range of responses, including cyber operations and possible strikes by the United States or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity with the Associated Press.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters Sunday night. Responding to Iran’s threats of retaliation, he warned that any attack would be met with an unprecedented response. The large US military deployment to the Caribbean is among the factors being weighed by Pentagon planners.
Iran’s threat was delivered during a parliamentary address by Mohammad Baagher Qalibaf, the hard-line speaker of parliament and a former presidential candidate, who referred to Israel as “the occupied territory.”
“If Iran is attacked, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets,” Qalibaf said, adding that Iran would act based on any perceived signs of threat. His remarks prompted lawmakers to chant “Death to America.”
