Dozens of people have died in Iran, where protests are spreading, with buildings and cars set on fire, crowds marching in the streets, and slogans in favor of the Shah of Persia. After 13 days of demonstrations, a near-total internet shutdown, thousands of arrests, and security forces on the streets, the protests in Iran, sparked by the economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation, continue. But for Ali Khamenei, the protesters are merely "a bunch of vandals."

The Islamic Republic "will not yield to saboteurs," thundered the elderly Supreme Leader, who for the first time in nearly two weeks publicly commented on the uprisings shaking Iran, making the Ayatollahs' regime appear increasingly weak . Khamenei accused the protesters of protesting to please US President Donald Trump, who in recent days had threatened harsh action if security forces killed demonstrators.

"Trump should know that the world's tyrants like Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Shah, and Mohammad Reza (the last Shah of Persia) were overthrown at the height of their arrogance. He too will be overthrown," Khamenei said, adding that the US president has "Iranian blood on his hands," accusing him of ordering the attacks during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last summer. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also accused the US and Israel of involvement in the uprisings.

"They are trying to turn peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones," Tehran's foreign minister said during a visit to Beirut, downplaying the possibility of foreign military intervention, "because their previous attempts have been a total failure."

In Zahedan, southeastern Iran, police opened fire on protesters, and the London-based news portal Iran International published a video showing bodies lying on the ground in Tehran's Alghadir Hospital. According to the NGO Hrana, at least 2,277 people have been taken into custody, and Tehran's prosecutor, Ali Salehi, announced that some of the protesters could face the death penalty for vandalizing public property during the riots.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for a "swift" and "independent" investigation into the deaths during the protests, saying he was "disturbed by reports of violence." Harsh reactions continued to come from the West, with Keir Starmer's British government urging the Tehran authorities to "exercise restraint" and guarantee "the right to peaceful protest," while the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, spoke of a "disproportionate and heavy-handed response by the security forces," calling the violence against protesters "unacceptable" and criticizing the internet blockade.

Meanwhile, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Persia who left the country and lives in the United States since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979, has launched an appeal to Donald Trump, calling for intervention by the US president "to help the Iranian people."

From Washington, President Donald Trump first reiterated his call "not to start shooting" civilians, "otherwise, we'll start shooting too." Then, in the evening, he assured that the United States is "ready to help" the protesters who are "fighting for freedom."

America "stands behind the courageous Iranian people," echoed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while the EU also called for a halt to the repression and the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, proposed sanctioning the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

(Unioneonline)

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