New anti-government protests in Iran have erupted as Donald Trump weighs up whether to unleash US military action against Tehran, reportedly including assassination attempts against the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and likely successor.
The student demonstrations broke out at six universities over the weekend – five in Tehran and another in the north-eastern city of Mashhad – according to state television.
Social media videos appeared to show confrontations at two universities between government supporters and anti-government protesters, with some chanting “death to the dictator”.
The rallies came as many Iranians held mourning ceremonies marking 40 days since thousands of civilians were killed in the deadly crackdown against massive, nationwide protests that gripped the country in late December and early January.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) identified four citizens who have been arrested at mourning ceremonies since Thursday.
Exactly how many people were killed in the January protests is unknown due to the internet blackout imposed across the country during the crackdown, but HRANA has put the figure at more than 7000, and says it is investigating 11,744 more reported deaths
The latest demonstrations come as US President Donald Trump is weighing up whether to strike Iran, even as diplomats from the two nations are set to meet for another round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday (Friday AEDT).
On Friday, Trump indicated he would make a decision on military action within 10-15 days.
He flagged the possibility of limited strikes, and warned Tehran to make a deal “otherwise bad things happen”.
Since those comments, US publication Axios has reported the president has been briefed on a range of options by the Pentagon, including assassinating both Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his middle son, and most likely successor, Mojtaba.
“They have something for every scenario. One scenario takes out the ayatollah and his son and the mullahs,” Axios reported a source as saying.
“What the president chooses no one knows. I don’t think he knows.”
The US has built up its military presence in the Middle East to its highest level in years, with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, and fellow carrier the USS Gerald R Ford – the largest warship on the planet – sighted en route to the region in the Mediterranean Sea.
According to Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, the president had expected Tehran to relent in negotiations in response to the build-up.
“I don’t want to use the word ‘frustrated,’ because [Trump] understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious as to why they haven’t… I don’t want to use the word ‘capitulated,’ but why they haven’t capitulated,” Steve Witkoff told Fox News.
During the protests at the start of the year, Trump had hinted US intervention was imminent, telling Iranians to “keep protesting” and that “help is on the way”.
However, he ultimately decided against military action, and instead imposed tariffs on Iran’s trading partners.
– with Associated Press