Iran suspends internet access as protests rise across the country
Iran has suspended access to the internet amid growing economic protests across the country due to economic hardship.
WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump said he will consider military options in Iran and follow through on his threat to attack the Iranian regime, as anti-government protests there have become increasingly deadly.
“The military is looking at it, we’re looking at some very strong options, and we’re going to make a decision,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on January 11, when he returned to Washington after spending the weekend at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Protests in Iran, now in their third week, have left hundreds dead and drawn condemnation from human rights groups.
Asked whether Iran had crossed any red lines, Trump said: “Well, they’re starting to do that — it looks like they do.” “It looks like some people were killed that shouldn’t have been killed. They’re violent. You can call them leaders, but I don’t know if they’re leaders or not. They probably rule with violence. But we’re looking at this very seriously.”
As of January 11, the Human Rights Defenders News Agency estimated that more than 580 people had been killed and more than 10,600 had been detained by authorities since the uprising began.
The protests began as Iran’s economy languishes amid soaring inflation following years of sanctions from the United States and other countries. In some videos of the demonstration, demonstrators can be heard calling for the overthrow of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and the return of the exiled son of Iran’s last king, Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi.
President Trump to meet with Elon Musk about restoring internet in Iran
President Trump said he plans to speak with billionaire tech entrepreneur and former White House staffer Elon Musk about helping restore internet connectivity in Iran as authorities disrupt services during protests.
Asked about Musk’s involvement in SpaceX, which provides a satellite internet service called Starlink used in Iran, Trump said: “He’s very good at that kind of thing. He runs a very good company. So I might talk to Elon Musk. In fact, as soon as I’m done talking to you, I’m going to call you right away.”
The Iranian government has threatened to attack US military bases if President Trump intervenes militarily in Iran. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the US of a “miscalculation”.
“Let me be clear: In the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) and all US military bases and ships would be legitimate targets,” said Qalibaf, a former commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps.
President Trump has said the United States will retaliate if Iran targets U.S. military bases. “If they do that, we will attack them at a level they have never had before. They won’t even believe it. I have very strong options,” he told reporters.
In a Jan. 2 social media post, President Trump vowed that the United States would intervene if Iran targeted peaceful protests. “If Iran continues to shoot and violently kill peaceful protesters, as it has done, the United States will come to their aid. We are locked, loaded and ready to go,” the president told Truth Social.
Trump also warned that the United States would be “smacked out of the ground” by Iran if it tried to rebuild its arms supply after Israel and the United States attacked Iran’s nuclear and missile programs in June.
Contributor: Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY. Reuters
Contact Joey Garrison at X @joeygarrison
