President Donald Trump has threatened military action in Iran, including airstrikes, to stop a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests that has left as many as 500 people dead.
Iranian officials said on January 12 that the country was ready for war but also open to dialogue with the United States.
President Trump is expected to discuss options against Iran with senior advisers on January 13. Possibilities include military attacks, cyberattacks, and increased sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters while traveling on Air Force One on January 11.
Where are the protests taking place in Iran and why?
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The American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threat Project and Institute for the Study of War (CTP-ISW), a US think tank, regularly publishes reports on Iran and assigns a confidence level to each protest movement. Click here for more information.
The map for this story displays all events, including those assigned high, medium, and low confidence. According to ISW, the number of protests in the city of Tehran may be higher than shown here, as internet shutdowns limit access to footage.
Protests against the Islamic Republic’s clerical establishment began on December 28 and focused on soaring prices and the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial. Criticism extended to the theocratic regime itself, accusing the United States of trying to destabilize the country.
In the past 11 days, observers witnessed protests at 348 locations., They include 45 universities in 111 cities in 31 states, according to the Human Rights Defenders News Agency.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, an estimated 114 members of Iranian security forces have been killed since the protests began. The security personnel were from the Law Enforcement Command, the Basij Resistance Forces, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Protests begin across Tehran city
USA TODAY reported that the protests are the biggest challenge to Iran’s clerical rule since 2022. Human rights groups and international monitoring groups have been tracking protests in Iran’s major cities and dozens of towns across all provinces.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was ready to negotiate with the United States. President Trump told reporters on January 11 that a meeting was set.
Iran has not released official statistics on the number of deaths or protests. A government-imposed internet blackout has cut off much communication with people in the country since January 8, disrupting the flow of information.
How is the Iranian government structured?
Since taking office for his second term, President Trump has intervened or threatened to intervene in other countries, including Iran, Greenland, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Contributed by Kathryn Palmer, Dan Morrison
SOURCE USA TODAY NETWORK REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS. Reuters; Human Rights Activist News Agency; War Research Institute; War of Understanding.org; Iran Human Rights.org
