After weeks of intense and destabilising protests across Iran, marked by sweeping internet and communications blackouts, a severe security crackdown, and reports of unprecedented deaths and repression, US President Donald Trump has kept Tehran and the wider region on tenterhooks by repeatedly threatening military strikes should the violence escalate further.
The demonstrations in Iran should not be seen as routine or normal outbursts of public frustration. Rather, they have been among the most serious challenges the Islamic Republic has faced in years, spreading across cities, drawing in diverse social groups and prompting a level of state violence that has underscored how threatened the leadership feels. By warning Iran’s leaders against killing demonstrators or resorting to executions, Mr Trump made clear that internal repression is no longer insulated from external consequences.
Even though the White House pulled back from military action on Wednesday night, the threat of force is still very much on the table.
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