US: Iran will be hit very hard if protesters are killed
Shafaq News– Washington
The United States on Thursday warned Iranian authorities of a strong response if they resort to lethal force against protesters.
A US State Department spokesperson told Shafaq News that President Donald Trump had been explicit on the issue, cautioning that “if they start killing people like they have in the past,” Iran would be “hit very hard by the United States.”
The spokesperson described the protests as reflecting the “understandable anger” of Iranians over their government’s alleged failure to deliver “a better life.”
Iranian authorities, he claimed, have for decades neglected key sectors, including the economy, agriculture, water, and electricity, to “squander billions of Iran’s wealth on terrorist proxies and nuclear weapons research, while suppressing the Iranian people.”
Unrest erupted on December 28 after the Iranian rial plunged to a record low of about 1.45 million to the US dollar, driving sharp increases in food prices. According to Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), the protests have spread to at least 285 locations across 92 cities in 27 provinces. The group reported that at least 36 people have been killed, including two policemen, and more than 2,076 others arrested since demonstrations began. Iranian authorities have yet to release official figures on casualties or arrests.
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As protests expanded, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed relevant ministries and institutions to open channels of dialogue with demonstrators and urged law enforcement agencies to avoid the use of force, while stressing citizens’ right to peaceful expression.
For Shafaq News, Mostafa Hashem, Washington, D.C.
