US-Iran tensions remained high as Tehran's hard-line rulers renewed their hostile rhetoric and threatened to hand out the "severest punishments," potentially including executions, against anti-government protesters.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, previously considered by many to be a relative moderate among Iran's rulers, on January 18 warned that an attack on the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would bring about an "all-out war."
"An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation," Pezeshkian said in a post on social media.
In a speech on January 17, Khamenei praised Pezeshkian's role in the suppression of recent demonstrations, while acknowledging that "several thousand" people had been killed during the protests.
US President Donald Trump has taken the forefront among Western leaders in calling out the Iranian regime for its brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters.
'New Leadership' For Iran
Trump told Politico in remarks published on January 17 that Khamenei was guilty of "the complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before" and said it was time to look for "new leadership" in Iran.
The latest challenge to the theocratic government erupted on December 28, with demonstrators taking the streets over Iran's struggling economy, before snowballing into wider protests.
Trump initially warned the United States was “locked and loaded” to take action if Iranian security forces killed protesters. He later threatened to take “very strong action” if Iran hanged protesters amid reports of impending executions.
Trump later said he was holding off an attack after Iran had canceled 800 executions, although Tehran has not confirmed that number or said that hangings had been permanently called off.
As of January 18, the US-based rights group HRANA had verified the deaths of 3,685 protesters, while 8,949 additional deaths are still being reviewed. More than 24,000 people have been detained.
Different activist groups have put the death toll far higher, but an Internet blackout has made it difficult to verify the information.
'Most Severe' Punishments
Meanwhile, Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir suggested that executions may still be conducted.
"A series of actions have been identified as mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments," he told a news conference on January 18.
Mohareb, or waging war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.
