Footage Emerges Of Protests In Ahvaz
A video dated January 8 has emerged on a Telegram channel that has been sharing footage of the protests in Iran.
It shows security forces firing tear gas toward large crowds of demonstrators at the Fatima Zahra mosque in the Kouy-e Bahonar neighborhood of the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran -- a location that has been geoconfirmed by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda. Gunfire can be heard in the background.
The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. The person who recorded it said the protesters were attempting to set fire to a base operated by the pro-regime Basij militia.
The US-based human rights organization HRANA has issued an update regarding the situation in Iran. According to its sources, the casualty toll from the recent protests has now risen to 5,137 confirmed deaths with more that 7,400 "severely injured." It also says that the number of deaths still under investigation is 12,904.
International Internet To Be Fully Restored Tonight, Says Iranian News Agency
The Fars news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported on January 23 that international Internet access would be “fully restored in all provinces of the country” by tonight.
Iran as a whole is now in the third week of a complete Internet shutdown and has been cut off from the outside world.
According to an update published on January 23 by NetBlocks, which tracks Internet outages and censorship worldwide, more “VPN tunnels” from inside Iran to abroad had been established since Friday morning , but Internet speeds remain very low.
We are now closing the live blog for today. We'll be back again tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Central European time to follow the latest developments in Iran.
Video Emerges Of Bodies In Rasht After Crackdown By Iranian Security Forces
Images of bodies in the northern Iranian city of Rasht have emerged on social media following reports of a massacre by security forces during protests earlier this month. An exiled Iranian human rights attorney who spoke to witnesses inside Iran told RFE/RL that security forces fired at people trapped inside a bazaar. He also said Iranian lawyers were being rounded up as part of a wave of mass arrests and disappearances. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the crackdown, according to the human rights group, HRANA.
UN Fact-Finding Mission Leader Says Iran Death Toll 'Shocking'
Sara Hossain, head of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, said on January 23 that Iranian security forces have used "assault weapons and heavy machine guns" against protesters since the evening of January 8, leaving a "shocking" death toll.
Speaking online and remotely to an emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council, Hossain said the information gathered by the mission indicated serious human rights violations, "including the disproportionate use of force that has resulted in arbitrary killings and injuries, torture, sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, and forced confessions."
Referring to statements by Iranian officials, the Bangladeshi lawyer recalled that the Islamic republic's judiciary had called for detainees to be punished "as soon as possible and without leniency" and had threatened to prosecute "rioters" on charges of "enmity against God," which carries the death penalty.
"International law demands an end to gross human rights violations, protection for those at risk, and a real path to truth, justice and accountability for women, men and children in Iran," said Hossain.
Tehran Prayer Leader Threatens 'American Investments' In Region
Tehran’s interim Friday Prayers leader threatened in this week's sermon on January 23 that if the United States takes military action against Iran, the Islamic republic may target "American-related investments" in the region.
It is not clear exactly what Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari meant by this threat, but he told US leaders: "That $1 trillion you have invested in the region is within the range of our missiles."
On the evening of January 22, while returning to Washington from Davos, Switzerland, US President Donald Trump reiterated his previous warnings to the leaders of the Islamic republic against the execution of protesters and resuming the nuclear program, emphasizing that he has an "armada" and military equipment on the way to Iran but hopes "not to have to use them."
Meanwhile, Iran's Attorney General Mohammad Movaheddi rejected the US president's claim that the execution of 800 detained protesters had been "canceled."
"This claim is fundamentally false, because neither such a figure existed nor has the judiciary made such a decision," Mizan, the Iranian judiciary's news agency, quoted Movaheddi as saying.
Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi claimed in an interview with Fox News that "there is no plan to hang protesters."
US Aims Sanctions At Iran's 'Shadow Fleet'
US Aims Sanctions At Iran's 'Shadow Fleet'
The US Treasury Department on January 23 also announced sanctions on nine ships that are part of what it called Iran's "shadow fleet" that carry embargoed Iranian oil and petroleum products around the world.
"Today's sanctions target a critical component of how Iran generates the funds used to repress its own people. As previously outlined, Treasury will continue to track the tens of millions of dollars that the regime has stolen and is desperately attempting to wire to banks outside of Iran," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
With US Strike Group On Way To Middle East, Deputy IRGC Leader Remains Defiant
Just hours after US President Donald Trump said the US has "a massive fleet heading" to Iran, the deputy commander of the IRGC, Ahmad Vahidi, has said that "the enemy should know that it can not hurt the Islamic revolution of Iran."
Vahidi, a former interior minister, also said on January 23 that the IRGC are here "to drive ISIS and terrorists out" and "thwart all their efforts."
The IRGC was established after the 1979 Islamic revolution on the orders of Ruhollah Khomeini, the first supreme leader who overthrew the shah. The group's aim was to guard the "Islamic revolution and its achievements."
In his comments, Vahidi did not specifically mention the involvement of IRGC forces in the unprecedented and deadly suppression of the January protests.
A recent statement from the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC referred to the unrest as "terrorist riots" and announced that this "sedition and chaos were thwarted by the preparedness of the security and law enforcement institutions."
As for the high number of protester deaths, the IRGC attributed the blame to "terrorist rioters" and, without offering evidence, claimed they were part of a "grand American-Zionist plan to disintegrate Iran's identity and geographical integrity."
The IRGC's security agency said that, during the protests, 735 people had been arrested or summoned, 743 "illegal combat and hunting weapons" had been seized, and 46 people had been identified as collaborating with foreign powers.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says that the number of confirmed fatalities has reached 5,002, while the number of deaths still under investigation has risen to 9,787. Different activist groups have put the death toll far higher, but an internet blackout has made it difficult to verify the information.
The EU is currently weighing more asset freezes and visa bans against members of the IRGC thought to be responsible for the crackdown. The bloc has been under pressure for a while to designate the IRGC a terrorist organization. To do that, however, a consensus of all EU members is required, and reports indicate that France, Italy, and Spain have so far opposed such a move.
Joint British-Qatari Air Squadron Departs For Persian Gulf
The UK has announced that a joint British-Qatari Royal Air Force squadron, known as Squadron 12, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf region with Typhoon fighter jets.
In a January 22 press release, the British Ministry of Defense announced the news, adding that "this action was taken in the wake of regional tensions" and "for purely defensive purposes."
According to the UK's Ministry of Defense, the deployment was made at the invitation of the Qatari government and aims to showcase the "strong and enduring defense relations" and to "maintain regional stability."
British Defense Secretary John Haley, in remarks quoted in the press release, said that Qatar and the UK are "close partners with historic defense ties" and that this cooperation strengthens "the national security of both our nations" and supports "stability in the Gulf region."
Squadron 12 has been regularly deployed to Qatar and has participated in joint training and exercises, the press release said.
The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, along with its planes and flight crews, was rerouted from the South China Sea and is accompanied by destroyers and a cruiser.