US says ‘all options on the table’ if Iran protest killings continue

Tehran nonmigratory tells Al Jazeera tensions stay precocious amid dense information beingness successful the Iranian capital.

The White House says “all options stay connected the table” for the United States to instrumentality subject enactment against Iran, reiterating that Tehran would look “grave consequences” if the killings of antigovernment protesters continue.

During a quality league connected Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump and his squad had communicated to Iran that “if the sidesplitting continues, determination volition beryllium sedate consequences”.

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“The president understands contiguous that 800 executions that were scheduled and expected to instrumentality spot yesterday were halted,” Leavitt told reporters, without providing immoderate grounds to backmost up the assertion that the executions were stopped.

“The president and his squad are intimately monitoring this situation, and each options stay connected the array for the president,” she added.

Her comments travel conscionable hours aft Trump appeared to soften his tone aft respective days of threats against Iran, with the US president saying his medication would instrumentality subject enactment against Tehran if much killings were carried out.

Thousands of Iranians person taken to the streets since precocious December past twelvemonth successful wide demonstrations that were sparked by soaring ostentation and the steep devaluation of the section currency.

The protests person dispersed to cities and towns crossed Iran, and activistic groups accidental much than 1,000 demonstrators person been killed successful the unrest.

The Iranian government, which describes the protesters arsenic equipped rioters backed by the US and its large determination ally, Israel, has said much than 100 information officers person been killed successful attacks during the demonstrations.

Al Jazeera is not capable to independently verify these figures.

Softened rhetoric

After days of heightened tensions and fears of a US subject onslaught connected Iran, Trump connected Wednesday dialled down the rhetoric, saying helium had received assurances that the killings of demonstrators had stopped.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi besides denied that Tehran planned to execute immoderate protesters. “Hanging is ‌out of the ‌question,” helium ⁠told the Fox News broadcaster.

The overseas curate had earlier this week said Iran is acceptable for warfare if the US wants to “test” it.

“If Washington wants to trial the subject enactment it has tested before, we are acceptable for it,” Araghchi said successful an interview with our colleagues astatine Al Jazeera Arabic connected Monday.

‘Great woody of uncertainty’

It remained hard connected Thursday to get accusation astir what was happening connected the crushed successful Iran arsenic a nationwide net blackout deed the one-week mark, according to online show NetBlocks.

But a nonmigratory of the Iranian capital, Tehran, said that information had been heavy reinforced amid continued uncertainty.

“There is simply a large subject beingness connected the streets of the superior and elsewhere,” said the resident, who spoke connected information of anonymity.

“There is simply a large woody of uncertainty. A batch of radical are worried,” they said. “There is simply a batch of death, sadness and anger.”

A commandant successful Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) besides said the country’s equipped forces remained connected precocious alert.

IRGC Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Mohammad Karami said the subject was “ready astatine the highest imaginable level”, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported.

Separately, Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned that the authorities would usage each its capabilities to “suppress the savage equipped terrorists” it claims are behind the unrest.

In comments broadcast connected Iranian authorities television, Nasirzadeh reiterated erstwhile claims by the authorities that the demonstrations were orchestrated by the US and Israel.

The “designers and executors of the riots should cognize that we are monitoring them”, helium added.

Meanwhile, contempt Trump’s softening tone, Washington issued caller sanctions against Iran connected Thursday greeting implicit the protestation crackdown.

The measures targeted Ali Larijani, the caput of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), and respective different officials, whom Washington accused of being the “architects” of the Iranian government’s “brutal” effect to the demonstrations.