Iran
The exiled crown prince outlined a post-Islamist, pro-Western future for the country.
Trump’s team reportedly doubts Iran’s regime would quickly collapse after a strike, stoking fears of retaliation and thin U.S. assets.
“The regime perceives these protests as an existential threat, and it’s willing to use any tools it has at its disposal to get rid of this threat to its survival,” Annika Ganzeveld, of AEI’s Critical Threats Project, told JNS.
“Talk of the U.S. military potentially intervening in Iran’s internal chaos gets a vigorous thumbs down,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy stated.
“The options are complicated, not so easy to execute and of uncertain capability to actually achieve meaningful results,” Daniel Shapiro said.
Jerusalem’s top diplomat cited the Islamic Republic’s “murderous repression of the Iranian people who are fighting for their freedom.”
CBS News cited Iranian sources saying up to 20,000 may have been killed, though only some 2,500 have been confirmed by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Israel and Arab states have reportedly advised Washington that the regime is not weakened enough for a military strike to be decisive.
“Iranian citizens braver than you could dream of being are sacrificing their lives in the fight for their own liberation, and all you can find to say is ‘it’s the Jews’ fault,’” she said.
IDF says it is on high alert, prepared for surprise scenarios, but stresses Iran’s protests are an internal matter and urges the public not to spread rumors.
“The rioters have put their hopes in him,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated. “If he’s so capable, he should manage his own country.”
A total of 483 demonstrators confirmed dead, another 579 reported slain under investigation, human rights group says.
The Israeli military is “continuously improving its capabilities and operational readiness, equipped to respond with power if needed.”
