The growing protest movement in Iran has now reached a critical stage, where the intensity not merely of international rhetoric but also the toll in human lives is increasing. The rising number of reported deaths being nudged towards the 2,000 mark, the politics of finger-pointing between Iran and the U.S. is becoming even more acute.
Who is Ali Larijani
Ali Larijani is an Iranian politician and former officer of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who is the current secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He previously headed the Iranian parliament for more than a decade and plays an important role in Iran’s security policymaking process.
Iran’s Leadership Points Fingers Abroad
In a strong reaction, Iranian national security chief and ex-speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, specifically targeted US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the “principal killers of the people of Iran.” Larijani made these comments on social media, in which he also blamed the US and Israeli governments for provoking the violence and instability in the country. It must be noted that Tehran always uses internal unrest as foreign-inspired conflict with the hard-line faction exploiting it amid increased security force presence.
Protests Turn Deadly Across Iran
Protests which started as a response to the high cost of living, the falling value of the Iranian currency, and unemployment have widened to encompass a revolution against the Iranian political structure as a whole. According to the human rights organization HRANA, based in the US, close to 2,000 people have been killed of which an estimated 1,850 are believed to be protesters and more than 16,700 people detained. The Iranian government has only recently confirmed the deaths through their official media outlets, terming the dead as martyrs but without giving the actual number of deaths.
Trump Cancels Talks & Backs Protesters
US President Donald Trump declared that he had canceled his engagements with Iranian officials in light of what he called the senseless killing of civilians. In his announcements to the world, he encouraged the Iranian people to continue with their demonstrations. Trump stated that Iranian officials were killing innocent people unnecessarily. While he said he would deliver help to the Iranian people, he did not provide an outline. Trump warned Iranian officials not to execute the people in custody, with threats of very strong action that would follow.
A Crisis With No Clear Exit
Although Trump has accused Iran of reaching out to negotiate, Tehran has yet to officially verify this. Simultaneously, the European leaders are considering placing new sanctions, while human rights officials are still registering arrests and deaths. Since the protests are currently in their third week, observers believe the impasse could soon turn violent. The fact that dialogue has not been established, coupled with the heightened rhetoric, indicates the Iranian crisis has entered a perilous realm.
