The Islamic Republic of Iran admitted on state television Tuesday morning that it massacred hundreds of unarmed protesters, whom it referred to as “rioters,” in multiple cities across the nation in recent weeks.
“The acknowledgment came in a television package that criticized international Farsi-language channels for their reporting on the crisis,” The Associated Press reported. “Iran has yet to release any nationwide statistics over the unrest that gripped the Islamic Republic beginning Nov. 15 with minimum prices for government-subsidized gasoline rising by 50%.”
The news comes as Amnesty International reported on Tuesday that it had confirmed from credible sources that at least 208 protesters had been killed by the Islamic regime in its crackdown on demonstrations.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that up to 450 protesters had been murdered by Iran, with up to 2,000 more sustaining injuries, and up to 7,000 being detained.
“This alarming death toll is further evidence that Iran’s security forces went on a horrific killing spree, that left at least 208 people dead in less than a week. This shocking death toll displays the Iranian authorities’ shameful disregard for human life,” said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. “Those responsible for this bloody clampdown on demonstrations must be held accountable for their actions. Since the Iranian authorities have previously shown they are unwilling to carry out independent, impartial and effective investigations into unlawful killings and other arbitrary use of force against protesters, we are calling on the international community to help ensure accountability.”
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported on Monday that Dr. Leila Vaseghi, Governor of Shahr-e Qods, West Tehran Province, admitted on Iranian state television that she ordered protesters to be shot at.
In a separate report by the Times on Monday, the newspaper highlighted how the Trump administration has effectively crushed Iran, which is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.
“President Trump likes to say that Iran is ‘a different country’ after 18 months of punishing American sanctions, and the protests sweeping Iranian cities suggest he may be right,” the Times reported. “Even his most vociferous critics acknowledge that Mr. Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign helped fuel that unrest.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during an interview Monday morning on Fox News that the problems that Iran is facing is a direct result of their leadership and they alone are the ones who are responsible for what is happening.
“The challenge that the Iranian economy faces is the direct result of the Iranian leadership. It has nothing to do with the sanctions we’ve put in place,” Pompeo said. “The Iranian leadership has failed to serve their people and continues to fail to serve their people.”
“It’s important to note, the world should know that humanitarian assistance, medical supplies and those kinds of things are expressly permitted to go into Iran,” Pompeo continued. “Our sanctions don’t impact those items. To claim that America’s sanctions are denying medical products for the people of Iran is foolish and it’s simply an effort to deflect from the catastrophe that he has inflicted upon his own people.”
“I’ve seen numbers that vary from as few as a hundred to many times more than that that have been killed by the Iranian Security Forces,” Pompeo concluded. “They’re just simple people who wanted to go out and protest to gain their political freedom and their political rights inside of Iran. We know that there have been several thousand people already detained and put into prisons. This is a regime that is spoiling the very demands that their people are putting on them. These protests are a direct result of economic collapse, the absence of political freedom and a regime that has sent their young boys off to fight and come back dead.”