&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Hand on the trigger’: Iran vows to treat anti-war protesters as ‘enemies of the state’")
Iran's top police commander has warned that demonstrators who support Tehran’s adversaries during the ongoing war will be treated as enemies of the state. The warning comes amid fears that the Iran war could reignite mass anti-government rallies.
Protestors or enemies
Iran's national police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, in comments aired by state broadcaster IRIB late on Tuesday, said, "If anyone comes forward in line with the wishes of the enemy, we will no longer see them as merely a protester."
"We will see them as an enemy," he said, adding, "We will deal with them in the same way we deal with enemies." Radan added that Iranian security forces were fully prepared to respond. "All our forces are also ready, with their hands on the trigger, prepared to defend their revolution."
Warning amid fears of renewed unrest
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The statement comes as the conflict in the Middle East raises concerns within Iran’s leadership that large-scale anti-government protests could erupt again.
Authorities carried out a sweeping crackdown earlier this year after demonstrations broke out in January over economic hardship in the sanctions-hit country. Iranian officials described those protests as riots and warned participants to surrender or face legal consequences.
At the time, US President Donald Trump warned the Iranian government against a crackdown on protestors and told the citizens that help was coming.
Disputed death toll from crackdown
Iranian authorities say more than 3,000 people died during the unrest, including security personnel and civilians. Officials have blamed the violence on what they describe as "terrorist acts" supported by Iran's enemies.
However, the Washington-based monitoring group Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported a far higher toll. According to the group, more than 7,000 people may have been killed during the crackdown, most of them protesters. It also says that more than 50,000 people were arrested.
The warning from Iranian police comes amid a widening conflict with the United States and Israel. Washington and Israel launched strikes inside Iran on Feb. 28, targeting military and strategic sites. Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the joint strikes, with his death confirmed on March 1.
Iran has since responded with missile and drone attacks against Israeli territory and US bases across the Gulf region.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
