THE NEW YORK TIMES: Despite an internet blackout, reports are emerging of a rise in deadly violence as protests spurred by economic woes have snowballed into a mass movement.
A severe crackdown in Iran on protesters challenging the government has led to a sharp rise in the death toll in recent days, with rights groups reporting casualties in the hundreds and no sign that the authorities are relenting.
Despite a near-complete internet blackout and draconian limits on phone communications in the country of 80 million, reports have started to trickle out that include verified videos of protester deaths and corpses lined up in body bags outside hospitals.
The worsening crisis in Iran, which started as a protest over economic grievances, represents what some experts are calling one of the gravest challenges to the authorities since the Islamic Revolution nearly five decades ago.
After initially striking a more sympathetic tone when demonstrations began two weeks ago, Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, took a tougher stance in an interview on Iranian state television Sunday, saying he was working to address protesters’ anger over the economy but vowed “not to let rioters destabilize the country.”
Late Sunday, President Trump, who had earlier warned that the United States would intercede if the Iranian government killed peaceful protesters, hinted that he might be ready to act. Asked by reporters traveling with him on Air Force One whether Iran’s leaders had crossed a red line, he replied: “It looks like it. There seems to be some people killed who weren’t supposed to be killed.”
Without getting into details, Mr. Trump said: “We’re looking at it very seriously, the military’s looking at it. And there’s a couple options.” » | Erika Solomon and Sanam Mahoozi | Published: Sunday, January 11, 2026. Updated: Monday, January 12, 2026
Watch the NYT video here.
