Chance of US ‘intervention’ grows as Iran protests go on; 35 dead, 1,200 held

With the confirmed death toll in the violence surrounding the protests in Iran rising to 35, the chance of an American intervention grows as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”

While it remains unclear if Trump will indeed intervene, and if so how, his comments sparked an immediate, angry response, with officials within the theocracy threatening to target American troops in West Asia (Middle East).

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The comments took on a new importance after the US military on Saturday captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a long-time ally of Tehran.

‘Targeted intervention’ by US?

Meanwhile, The Jerusalem Post reported that the United States, along with Israel, is “weighing some targeted intervention to assist the protest movement to get over the top of the Iranian regime”. Israel is reportedly also looking at the possibility of a regime change in Iran aided by Maduro’s removal.

Israeli spy agency Mossad has also publicly shared a message of support to Iranian protestors on X.

Earlier this month, Trump warned Tehran with a post on Truth Social, “We are locked and loaded and ready to go.” In June last year, the US bombed key nuclear facilities in Iran even as the latter was engaged in a war with Israel.

Khamenei ready to flee to Moscow?

According to reports citing anonymous sources, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a backup plan to flee the country.

Also read: Trump, Iran trade threats as protests spread across Islamic Republic

According to a report in The Times, the 86-year-old leader is ready with a plan to flee to Moscow along with 20 other aides and his family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba.

Syria’s Bashar al-Assad also fled to Moscow after his regime fell in December 2024.

1,200 detained, 35 dead

Iran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after a 12-day war with Israel, its rial currency collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to USD 1. Protests began soon after that.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said on Monday (January 5) that more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week.

It said 29 protesters, four children, and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached over 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.

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The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in reporting crucial figures during past unrests.

Biggest protests in Iran since 2022

These protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations.

However, the protests have yet to become as widespread and intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.

Understanding the scale of this latest round of protests has been difficult. Iranian state media has provided little information about the demonstrations.

Protests not stopping

The semi-official Fars news agency, believed close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported late Monday that some 250 police officers and 45 members of the Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force have been hurt in the demonstrations.

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Online videos offer only brief, shaky glimpses of people in the streets or the sound of gunfire. Journalists in Iran also face limits on reporting in general such as requiring permission to travel around the country, as well as the threat of harassment or arrest by authorities.

But the protests do not appear to be stopping, even after Khamenei on Saturday said “rioters must be put in their place”.

(With agency inputs)