Protests in Iran continue to grow and security forces are now estimated to have killed at least 500 protesters. In addition to renewed military threats from President Trump, he said countries doing business with Iran will face tariffs. Nick Schifrin reports on the latest. A warning: some images in this story may disturb viewers.
Amna Nawaz:
Protests in Iran continued to grow today and over the weekend, as has the death toll, with security forces now estimated to have killed at least 500 protesters, perhaps many more.
Geoff Bennett:
In addition to renewed military threats from President Trump, late today, he issued another threat, saying: “Any country doing business with Iran will pay a tariff of 25 percent on any and all business being done with the United States.” It is unclear what sectors the president is designating.
Nick Schifrin reports now.
And a warning:
Some images in this story are disturbing.
Nick Schifrin:
In Iran, the street demands the end of the regime, spews contempt for their leaders, and declares this the final battle.
Over the last few days, protesters set fire to symbols of the regime’s repression, including this mosque in Tehran and sources of government power, including municipal buildings in the north. The response has been ruthless.
In the last two weeks, human rights groups now accuse security forces of killing about 500 protesters, soaking the nation’s streets in its citizens’ blood, and now new footage of the aftermath of a massacre, rows of body bags all believed to be protesters who fought and died demanding freedom, line the floor of the Kahrizak morgue outside of Tehran, so many bodies, they overflowed outside, where family members were beleaguered by loss.
The regime called these victims all lined up for their loved ones to find armed terrorists, the toll so high, morgue officials cycled through images of the dead so they could be identified.
Today, the government gathered its own march, tens of thousands, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, who this weekend accused Iran’s unnamed enemies of bringing — quote — “trained terrorists” into Iran.
Today, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi aimed his comments directly at the U.S.
Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister (through interpreter):
We do not seek war, but we are fully prepared for it. At the same time, as I have repeatedly said, we are also ready for negotiations.
Nick Schifrin:
Last night, President Trump confirmed he was considering a military strike.
President Donald Trump:
But we’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it. And we’re looking at some very strong options.
Nick Schifrin:
But also acknowledged Iran’s willingness to talk.
Donald Trump:
A meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting.
Nick Schifrin:
The protests began in late December triggered by rising prices. They expanded into calls for regime change and in unprecedented ways, geographically spreading from urban centers to rural provinces such as Ardabil in the north, and socioeconomically, to include both the working and middle classes across the country.
And despite the danger, protesters continue their clashes with police, calling for an end to a government that gives religious leaders ultimate control. And they’re willing to pay the ultimate price. This purported video shows protesters checking their bloodied friends’ signs of life, these scenes exactly what the government hoped to hide through an unprecedented Internet shutdown.
Ali Tehrani, Director of D.C. Operations, Psiphon: This is the most extreme shutdown that we have seen in the history of the Internet inside the country.
Nick Schifrin:
Ali Tehrani is the director of operations of Psiphon, which provides protesters around the world virtual private networks to bypass state censorship. He says Iran shut down the Internet faster and with fewer loopholes than ever before, showing the regime fears the protest threat is existential.
Ali Tehrani:
The national Internet shutdown is very, very rare. And the reason for that is because of the collateral damage. The airports don’t work. The banks don’t work. A lot of internal services do not work.
When a regime such as Iran’s chooses to do that, it means that there is a higher stake at place. This is the biggest threat that they have ever felt. Therefore, they implemented the Internet shutdown the way that they are doing it right now.
Nick Schifrin:
But the Trump administration has partially cut Tehrani’s funding…
Narrator:
Courier, a ship without guns, goes into battle armed with the greatest weapon of all, truth.
Nick Schifrin:
… as part of its cuts to the parent organization A Voice of America.
Narrator:
Citizens around the world are being tortured, imprisoned and even killed for their online speech.
Nick Schifrin:
Those cuts also hit VOA’s digital descendant, the Open Technology Fund, which supports Psiphon and other software that opens windows for protesters to share videos and communicate despite government attempts to close them.
Ali Tehrani:
One of the pillars of the U.S. policy in the past two decades has been restoring this information. And that is paying off. All these people chanting on the streets like what they are looking for, it’s because this window was open to them. I mean, it didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t happen accidentally. It is because this option, this window of opportunity was open in front of them, and they could see that what they could demand.
Nick Schifrin:
And so Tehrani and others want the U.S. government to restore funding to help protesters demand change and broadcast it to the world.
For the “PBS News Hour,” I’m Nick Schifrin.
