After hinting at a strike on Iran, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jan 13) that his end game is to win. Reiterating that the United States will take “very strong action” if Iranian authorities carry out hanging of protestors. He also said that there is no clear picture on the extend of crackdown by the Iranian regime. Trump also called the protesters “Iranian patriots” and have warned Iran of military action several times as Iran protests continues for third week.
Speaking to CBS News, “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing.” When asked about his end goal, he said, “The end game is to win. I like winning." "I hear numbers -- look, one death is too much -- but I hear much lower numbers, and then I hear much higher numbers…The killing looks like it's significant, but we don't know yet for certain. I'll know within 20 minutes -- and we'll act accordingly. We don't want to see what's happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that's one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you're telling me about hanging — we'll see how that works out for them. It's not going to work out good," he added.
When asked about the nature of the “help” that Trump hinted at in his social media post, the POTUS did not reveal the specifics. He reiterated that "there's a lot of help on the way" for Iranian citizens, saying it's being offered in "different forms." He mentioned the US airstrikes last year targeting three of Iran's nuclear facilities, but offered no other specifics.
Trump offers ‘help,’ Russia reacts
US President Trump took to Truth Social to declare that “help is on its way” triggering massive speculations of strike on Tehran. He also asked people to take a note of all “killers and abusers” and assured that they would pay a “big price.” In a sharp criticism of Trump's statement, Russia warned America of “disastrous consequences" not only for the Middle East but also for global security. In a strongly worded statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry called out America's “subversive external interference” in Iran’s internal affairs and denounced US threats of military action, saying such moves are “categorically unacceptable.” Terming the situation in Iran as “dangerously volatile,” Moscow said that the region will be thrown into instability if there is an external interference.
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US envoy met Reza Pahlavi, spoke to Araghchi?
Meanwhile, reports suggested that White House envoy Steve Witkoff secretly met over the weekend with exiled Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi to discuss Iran’s escalating protests. Pahlavihas not stepped inside Iran since 40 years now but has been vocal on social media over the ongoing protest. Some reports also claimed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly held talks with Witkoff. These reports signify the extent of US involvement in the ongoing Iranian protest but do not give a clear picture about further US action.
Also Read: Canadian MP lights cigar with Khamenei's burning photo amid Iran protest, joins viral trend
Iran Protest: 1,850 protesters killed
Iran is witnessing massive protest against the clerical regime that has been in power after Islamic revolution of 1979. The protest that began as a reaction to the catastrophic economic collapse soon snowballed into calls for regime change. Iranian regime has warned protesters of death penalty and blamed US and Israel for the widespread anger. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei predicted that US will witness a downfall similar to of Shah's regime in 1979.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that so far 1,850 protesters have been killed in Iran, including 135 people affiliated with the government and nine uninvolved civilians as well as nine children. As a part of crackdown, Iranian regime has imposed a complete internet blockade. Elon Musk's Starlink is the only source of internet that is available to Iranians currently.

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