loading . . . Tehran’s brutal calculus: regime escalates savage crackdown with mass killings and imminent executions As nationwide anti-government protests in Iran enter their third week, the clerical regime under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has unleashed a ferocious wave of repression, with an Iranian official acknowledging that approximately 2,000 people have been killed in the unrest – a staggering toll that independent rights groups say has climbed as high as 13,000.
The bloodshed, combined with reports of an imminent execution of a young protester, signals that Tehran’s leadership believes it has regained the upper hand and is prepared to deploy extreme measures to crush dissent.
The demonstrations erupted on 28 December, initially sparked by the dramatic collapse of the Iranian rial and skyrocketing prices that plunged ordinary citizens into economic despair. What began as economic grievances quickly morphed into open calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic’s clerical establishment – the most serious challenge to the regime since the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and one of the largest since the 2009 Green Movement.
In the streets of Tehran, Karaj, and dozens of other cities, protesters have defied severe restrictions, including widespread internet blackouts (partially circumvented through tools like Elon Musk’s Starlink, made available free via U.S.-backed initiatives). Security forces — including the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij paramilitary, which together command nearly one million loyalists – have responded with live ammunition, mass arrests, and lethal force.
An Iranian official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, provided the regime’s first comprehensive death toll: about 2,000 killed over more than two weeks, with authorities blaming “terrorists” for civilian and security-force deaths alike. Other rights monitors warn the true figure may have exceeded 13,000.
Yet the regime’s strategy appears twofold: publicly acknowledging the legitimacy of economic complaints while privately authorizing unrelenting violence. This dual approach has allowed authorities to portray the crackdown as necessary against foreign-instigated chaos – with Iran accusing the United States and Israel of orchestrating the unrest – even as the bloodshed further erodes its domestic legitimacy.
The most chilling development emerged in recent days: reports of swift, summary trials leading to death sentences. Hengaw, an Iranian Kurdish rights group, and Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) have raised alarms over Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old man arrested on 8 January in Fardis, near Karaj, during the protests. According to family sources cited by the groups, Soltani was informed he had been sentenced to death — reportedly on charges including “waging war against God” (moharebeh), a capital offense under Iranian law — with execution scheduled for Wednesday, 14 January. Sources close to the family told rights organizations that Soltani had no access to a lawyer, and no full trial appears to have taken place.
If carried out, this would mark the first known execution directly tied to the current wave of demonstrations, echoing the regime’s use of public hangings during the 2022 protests to instill terror and push dissent underground.
Hangings remain a routine feature of Iran’s penal system, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Society, but their application to fresh protest arrests would represent a dramatic escalation – a clear signal that the regime feels confident enough to resort to capital punishment without fear of immediate backlash.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned the violence, cancelling all meetings with Iranian officials until the “senseless killing” stops and imposing new 25% tariffs on products from any country trading with Iran. In a Truth Social post, Trump urged Iranians to “keep protesting,” vowing that “help is on its way” and warning regime abusers they “will pay a very big price.”
In a CBS News interview, he issued a stark warning against executions: “If they hang them, you’re going to see some things… We will take very strong action if they do such a thing.”
While Trump has not specified what form such action might take, White House sources indicate “all options” remain on the table, amid discussions of potential military pressure or further economic isolation.
European leaders have joined the chorus of condemnation. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that Iran’s leadership is in its “final days and weeks” if it continues to rely on violence. Britain, France, Germany, and Italy summoned Iranian ambassadors in protest, while the European Commission described the rising casualties as “horrifying.”
Despite the international outcry and domestic rage, analysts argue the regime’s resilience stems from its entrenched institutions and loyal security apparatus. Experts like Vali Nasr emphasize that overthrowing the clerical establishment would require sustained street momentum and defections within the security forces – conditions that have not yet materialized. The IRGC and Basij remain cohesive, with no visible fractures at the top. Supreme Leader Khamenei, now 86, has weathered multiple uprisings before.
With Reuters, with additional content by g.g.
Caption: According to reports on social media, families have to pay the regime for retrieving the dead bodies of their loved ones [Public domain] https://eualive.net/tehrans-brutal-calculus-regime-escalates-savage-crackdown-with-mass-killings-and-imminent-executions/
