Iran's theocratic regime appears to be fighting a bloody battle for survival, with reports of hundreds of deaths (at least 544) in mass protests, while unconfirmed accounts also speak of thousands of victims of the violent repression. Arrests exceed 10.000.
Digital "blackout"
The regime's internet shutdown in Iran has been ongoing for at least 84 hours, cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks said on Monday. The group had previously said connectivity to the outside world was at 1% of normal levels. Tehran is also jamming Elon Musk's Starlink satellites.
The authorities' nationwide shutdown of internet access and telephone lines has made it difficult to understand the full extent of what is unfolding on the ground, including the full scale of casualties from the mass anti-government protests, CNN reports.
Against the backdrop of the worsening situation, the US president will receive an extensive briefing on Tuesday on specific options for responding to the crisis in Iran, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Donald Trump's scheduled meeting with officials will focus on discussing possible next steps, which include military strikes, the development of secret cyberweapons against Iranian military and civilian infrastructure, imposing additional sanctions on the Iranian government, and strengthening anti-government sources online, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Kaine are expected to participate in Tuesday's meeting, the officials said.
Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military is considering "very strong options" for Tehran. "We are looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we are looking at very strong options. We will make a decision," the US president told reporters accompanying him on his plane.
The US president said Iranian leaders had contacted his government to "negotiate", following his threats to order military action as the Islamic Republic faces mass protests against the government.
"The Iranian leaders called" the day before yesterday, Donald Trump told reporters accompanying him on the presidential plane, adding that "a meeting is being prepared (...) They want to negotiate."
However, the Republican said that "we may need to take action before" any meeting.
"He will fall like Pharaoh"
The official social media account of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, published a cartoon on X depicting the US president as a rotting carnivore, with a message saying "he too will be overthrown."
It depicts the American leader as an ancient Egyptian-style stone sarcophagus inside a tomb decorated with hieroglyphics. The U.S. flag and the Great Seal of the United States are carved into the coffin, which cracks and collapses. The accompanying text in the cartoon reads: "Like a Pharaoh."
A message posted alongside the cartoon refers to historical and legendary kings such as the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt and Nimrod, a biblical figure from the Book of Genesis, warning that they were “overthrown at the height of their pride.” It also refers to Reza Khan and Mohammad Reza, the first and second Iranian shahs of the Pahlavi dynasty.
"This guy who sits there with arrogance and pride and judges the entire world should also know that usually the tyrants and arrogant people of the world, such as Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Khan, Mohammad Reza and the like, were overthrown when they were at the height of their pride, and he too will be overthrown," Khamenei's post states.
EU considers additional sanctions
The head of European Union diplomacy, Kaya Kalas, said she was ready to propose imposing new sanctions on Iran, in response to what she described as the brutal repression of protests in the country.
“The EU has already put in place sweeping sanctions against Iran – on those responsible for human rights violations, nuclear proliferation activities and Tehran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Ms. Kallas told the German newspaper Die Welt, which published her remarks on Sunday.
"I am prepared to propose additional sanctions in response to the regime's brutal repression of protesters," she added.
According to information from the German Agency, initially punitive measures are expected to be proposed against those responsible for the violence against protesters, including ministers. Sanctions could include travel restrictions and the freezing of any of their assets under EU jurisdiction.
According to the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the EU, Iranians are risking everything to make their voices heard and the regime has a long and heavy history of crushing protests, with the country's security forces reacting brutally once again.
Source: skai.gr
