Iran’s protests seem smothered; U.S. puts new sanctions : NPR

Women cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Thursday.

Vahid Salemi/AP

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Vahid Salemi/AP

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nationwide protests against Iran’s theocracy appeared increasingly muted Thursday, a week after authorities cut the country off from the world and intensified a bloody crackdown that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people.

The prospect of U.S. retaliation following the deaths of protesters still looms over the region, even as President Donald Trump has spoken of possible de-escalation, saying the killings appear to be nearing an end. The United States announced new sanctions against Iranian officials accused of suppressing protests that began late last month due to the decline of the country’s economy and the collapse of its currency.

In the Iranian capital, Tehran, witnesses said recent mornings had shown no new signs of bonfires set the night before or debris in the streets. The sound of gunshots, intense for several nights, has also subsided.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media have announced wave after wave of arrests by authorities, targeting those they label “terrorists” while apparently searching for Starlink internet satellite dishes, which are the only way to stream videos and images over the internet.

“Since January 8, we have witnessed a real war, and anyone who participates in the rally since then is a criminal,” Justice Minister Amin Hossein Rahimi said, according to a report published Wednesday by the Mizan judicial news agency.

Iranian state media released a list of damage caused by what it called a “terrorist operation,” including damage to hundreds of shops and public buildings, dozens of cars and ambulances and several “heritage sites.” including mosques and shrines.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Chinese counterpart that the situation in the country was now stable.

But as Iran attempts to assert its control over the country, it has raised concerns about threats from abroad, including from the United States, which has threatened military action if peaceful protesters are killed. Tensions soared after Trump’s comment Tuesday that “help is on the way” for Iranian protesters.

The Islamic Republic closed its airspace for hours Thursday morning without explanation, something it did during previous rounds of attacks between it and Israel, as well as during the 12-day war in June. The United States also took steps to move some personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, while warning diplomats in Kuwait to stay away from military bases where American troops are stationed. Britain closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrew its British staff from Iran.

Closed airspace

The airspace closure lasted more than four hours, according to pilot guidelines issued by Iran, which is on a key east-west air route. International carriers diverted north and south around Iran, but after an extension the closure appeared to have expired and several domestic flights were operating just after 7 a.m.

Around noon, Iranian state television broadcast a statement from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority saying the country’s “skies welcome incoming and outgoing flights, and airports provide services to passengers.” He did not recognize the closure.

The shutdown immediately impacted global aviation.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” says the SafeAirspace website, which provides information on conflict zones and air travel. “The situation may signal an intensification of security or military activities, including the risk of missile launches or enhanced air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civilian traffic.”

In the past, Iran has wrongly identified a commercial airliner as a hostile target. In 2020, Iranian air defenses shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people on board.

Protests in Iran spark reactions abroad

Videos of the protests have stopped coming out of Iran, likely indicating a slowdown in their pace due to the heavy presence of security forces in major cities. But in the meantime, anti-Iran protests took place around the world as global attention focused on the crackdown.

The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran for Thursday afternoon at the request of the United States.

Trump made a series of statements that made it unclear what actions, if any, the United States would take. In comments to reporters Wednesday, Trump said he had been told plans for executions in Iran had been stopped, without providing many details. On Thursday, he hailed as “good news” reports that a protester’s death sentence had been lifted.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to moderate his rhetoric, urging the United States to find a solution through negotiation.

Asked by Fox News what he would say to Trump, Araghchi responded: “My message is this: Between war and diplomacy, diplomacy is a better path, even if we have no positive experience from the United States. But diplomacy is still much better than war.”

Activists have warned that inmate hangings could happen soon, although Araghchi told Fox News “there are no plans for hangings.”

The change in tone from the United States and Iran came hours after the head of Iran’s judiciary said the government must act quickly to punish the thousands of people arrested.

Among those hit by U.S. sanctions Thursday was the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, whom the Treasury Department accuses of being one of the first officials to call for violence against protesters. The Group of Seven industrialized democracies, of which the United States is a member, also warned it could impose more sanctions if Iran’s crackdown continues.

The repression of the demonstrations left at least 2,637 dead, according to the American press agency Human Rights Activists News Agency. The figure reported Thursday represents an increase of 22 from the figure a day earlier, and the organization says that number will likely continue to rise. The death toll exceeds that of any other wave of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and is reminiscent of the chaos that surrounded the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The U.S.-based agency, founded 20 years ago, has tracked accurately throughout several years of protests, relying on a network of activists in Iran that confirms all reported deaths.

With communications very limited in Iran, the AP was unable to independently confirm the group’s toll. Iran’s theocratic government has not provided the total number of casualties from the protests.