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Iran’s deadly crackdown appears to person broadly quelled protests for now, according to a rights group and residents, arsenic authorities media reported much arrests connected Friday (January 16, 2026) successful the shadiness of repeated U.S. threats to intervene if the sidesplitting continues.
Fears of a U.S. onslaught person retreated since Wednesday (January 14, 2026), erstwhile President Donald Trump said he’d been told killings successful Iran were easing. U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, conducted aggravated diplomacy with Washington this week to forestall a U.S. strike, informing of repercussions for the wider portion that would yet interaction the United States, a Gulf authoritative said.
The White House said connected Thursday (January 15, 2026) that Mr. Trump and his squad person warned Tehran determination would beryllium “grave consequences” if determination is further bloodshed.
Mr. Trump understands that 800 scheduled executions were halted, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt added, saying the president was keeping “all of his options connected the table”.
The protests erupted connected December 28 implicit soaring ostentation successful Iran, whose system has been crippled by sanctions, earlier spiralling into 1 of the biggest challenges yet to the clerical constitution that has tally Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Axios reported that the manager of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, arrived successful the U.S. connected Friday (January 16, 2026) for talks connected the concern successful Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau didn’t instantly respond to a petition for comment.
The quality outlet besides cited U.S. sources arsenic saying the U.S. subject is sending further antiaircraft and violative capabilities to the portion to beryllium acceptable successful lawsuit Trump orders a strike.
The U.S. military’s Central Command didn’t instantly respond to an emailed request for comment.
Analysis | Why Saudi Arabia opposed U.S. onslaught connected Iran
Rights radical reports dense information deployment
With accusation flows from Iran obstructed by an net blackout, respective residents of Tehran said the superior had been quiescent since Sunday (January 11, 2026). They said drones were flying implicit the city, wherever they’d seen nary motion of protests connected Thursday oregon Friday.
Iranian-Kurdish rights radical Hengaw said that determination had been nary protestation gatherings since Sunday (January 11, 2026), but “the information situation remains highly restrictive”.
“Our autarkic sources corroborate a dense subject and information beingness successful cities and towns wherever protests antecedently took place, arsenic good as successful respective locations that did not acquisition large demonstrations,” Norway-based Hengaw said successful comments to Reuters.
Another nonmigratory successful a bluish metropolis connected the Caspian Sea said the streets besides appeared calm.
The residents declined to beryllium identified for their safety.
Reports of sporadic unrest
There were, however, indications of unrest successful immoderate areas.
Hengaw reported that a pistillate caregiver was killed by nonstop gunfire from authorities forces during protests successful Karaj, westbound of Iran. Reuters was not capable to independently verify the report.
The state-affiliated Tasnim quality outlet reported that rioters acceptable occurrence to a section acquisition bureau successful Falavarjan County, successful cardinal Isfahan Province, connected Thursday (January 15, 2026).
An aged nonmigratory of a municipality successful Iran’s northwestern region, wherever galore Kurdish Iranians unrecorded and which has been the absorption for galore of the biggest flare-ups, said sporadic protests had continued, though not arsenic intensely.
Describing unit earlier successful the protests, she said: “I person not seen scenes similar that before.”
The state-owned Press TV cited Iran’s constabulary main arsenic saying calm had been restored crossed the country.
A decease toll reported by U.S.-based rights radical HRANA has accrued small since Wednesday, presently astatine 2,677 people, including 2,478 protesters and 163 radical identified arsenic affiliated with the government.
Reuters has not been capable to independently verify the HRANA decease toll. An Iranian authoritative told the quality bureau earlier this week that astir 2,000 radical had been killed.
The casualty numbers dwarf the decease toll from erstwhile bouts of unrest that person been suppressed by the state.
Putin calls Netanyahu, Pezeshkian
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the concern successful Iran successful abstracted calls connected Friday (January 16, 2026) with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and said that Moscow was consenting to mediate in the region, the Kremlin said.
Mr. Pezeshkian told Mr. Putin that the United States and Israel had played a nonstop relation successful the unrest, Iranian authorities media reported.
Iranian authorities person accused overseas enemies of fomenting protests and equipped radical they person identified arsenic terrorists of targeting information forces and carrying retired attacks.
HRANA has reported that much than 19,000 radical person been arrested, but the state-affiliated Tasnim news outlet said 3,000 radical had been detained.
Tasnim also reported what it described arsenic the apprehension of a ample fig of leaders of caller riots successful the occidental state of Kermanshah, and the apprehension of 5 radical accused of vandalising a state presumption and a basal belonging to the Basij - a subdivision of the information forces often utilized to quell unrest - successful the southeastern metropolis of Kerman.
