Iran’s Government Defends Its Crackdown

Unlike the restraint we showed in 2025, this time we’ll have no qualms about firing back with all we have.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/irans-regime-defends-its-crackdown-46a2f59a?st=3XjPaR&reflink=article_copyURL_share

Tehran

The White House ought to be impervious to the wave of demonstrably false stories in Western media about recent events in Iran, but it may be necessary to clarify some points. The protests began peacefully and were recognized as legitimate by the Iranian government. They suddenly turned violent when foreign and domestic terrorist actors entered the scene, so blocking communication among organizers of the rioters and terrorists was an imperative. As those cells are being wrapped up by our intelligence and security agencies, the internet and all communications are slowly being restored.

Media narratives have actively distorted reality and helped create an atmosphere that risks unleashing violence on an unprecedented scale in our region. If I had to guess, I would say violence was the precise purpose of this apparent misinformation campaign.

As black-clad groups of masked terrorists used rifles and handguns to infiltrate protests and mow down innocent demonstrators on our streets, reports emerged in various media claiming that big cities in Iran had “fallen.” Other reports alleged the continuation of widespread armed violence. In reality, the violent phase of the unrest lasted less than 72 hours. I acknowledged in an interview with Fox News that the death toll is in the hundreds, with a final tally to be released when the Health Ministry and hospitals are able to provide figures with accuracy.

The events of this month have differed from previous protests in one crucial respect. The U.S. president publicly warned that Iran would face consequences if protesters were killed. This message, intentionally or not, gave plotters an incentive to pursue a callous and horrific strategy of what can only be described as “maximum bloodshed.” The purpose was clear: to drag the U.S. into fighting another war on behalf of Israel. When even President Trump’s former Central Intelligence Agency director, Mike Pompeo, openly acknowledges the Israeli Mossad spy agency’s infiltration of street protests, this reality can’t be dismissed as a conspiracy theory.

From Dec. 28 to the evening of Jan. 8, Iran witnessed various scenes familiar in many other democracies: largely peaceful protests against economic reforms and the state of the economy, especially inflation, negotiations with trade groups, and limited, nonlethal clashes. Iranian police are trained and equipped primarily to manage unrest without firearms, and almost all officers on the ground were unarmed. But only hours after Mr. Trump’s announcement that he was considering intervention in the case of mass violence, our security forces were caught off guard by coordinated, large-scale armed attacks.

Gunfire targeted police and civilians alike. Officers were shot, burned and even beheaded. Public buses, hospitals, ambulances, fire stations, health infrastructure, chain stores and even mosques were deliberately destroyed to maximize casualties and impede emergency response. The majority of those killed were police officers and ordinary civilians. To put the shocking scale of violence in perspective, it was the equivalent of 600 law-enforcement personnel in the U.S. being killed in 72 hours. No government would sit idly by as its citizens were subjected to such unfathomable horrors.

Contrary to the lies being peddled abroad, all unarmed victims have been officially recognized as martyrs. This means that every affected family will receive full support, including the same compensation and benefits as fallen police officers.

The violence on our streets has subsided and normal life has returned nationwide. Thanks to the intervention of our brave security personnel and the vigilance and cooperation of the public, terrorist cells have been hunted down and eliminated.

As Iranians grieve their loved ones and rebuild what has been destroyed, another threat looms: the final failure of diplomacy. Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack. This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war. An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe. I will do anything in my power to prevent that scenario from materializing.

Mr. Trump perceives himself as a deal maker. What he has so far brought to our region, however, has only been war. Look at Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and even Qatar, and count how many have lost their lives during his 12 months in office. It is time to change tack.

With Iran, Mr. Trump tried diplomacy first. On at least three occasions, we were very close to a middle-way solution during negotiations in Oman last May. Ultimately it didn’t pan out. Why? Because of Israel’s proxies in the White House, who couldn’t possibly care less about American interests. We also missed an excellent opportunity to resume diplomacy in New York last September, simply because of miscalculation on the U.S. side in urging the Europeans to invoke the so-called snapback provision of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reimposing United Nations sanctions against Iran.

Iran will always choose peace over war. We have always been ready for real and serious negotiations to achieve a fair and balanced deal, and we have proved it time and again in recent years. Mindful of what we experienced in June and September 2025, we are unconvinced that the U.S. shares that mindset.

Iran’s message to President Trump is clear: The U.S. has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack—and, most recently, it clearly fanned a major terrorist operation—all of which failed. It is time to think differently. Try respect, which will allow us to advance farther than one may believe.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49605624)

Hilarious that he also notes that protests did not incur violence until Jan 9th and yet omits the most basic context about what happened Jan 8th and 9th to spark the violence and instead blames it on a literal boogeyman of “black-clad groups of mass terrorists” trying to pick up on specific reporting about Kurds in northern provinces. Jan 8th and 9th was when *millions (plural)* joined into the protests in response to Pahlavi’s call to join them and show support for his plan to facilitate elections. The killing started because by the second night the regime’s fear was that the protests were spreading so widely and explicitly calling for regime change (the day after the regime began its internet blackout, again repeating its tactic from the last four massacres). His bullshit timeline is more lies: Trump’s first post that claimed (lied) that he would intervene if Iran cracked down on the protest was on Jan 2nd, so claiming that was some spur of violence contradicts his own account of the peaceful demonstrations until Jan 8th.

Don’t be a retarded groyper or a faggot tankie.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49605733)

Fuck you, no, you dumb loser faggot.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606318)

When DBG is on your side for humanitarian reasons, you have to wonder

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606025)

From Dec. 28 to the evening of Jan. 8, Iran witnessed various scenes familiar in many other democracies: largely peaceful protests against economic reforms and the state of the economy, especially inflation, negotiations with trade groups, and limited, nonlethal clashes. Iranian police are trained and equipped primarily to manage unrest without firearms, and almost all officers on the ground were unarmed. But only hours after Mr. Trump’s announcement that he was considering intervention in the case of mass violence, our security forces were caught off guard by coordinated, large-scale armed attacks.

Yep Yep

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606027)

But but Luis wants to wave the gay flag in Tehran! Have we considered this?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606031)

OY VEY!!! BLOOD LIBEL!!!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606060)

(Don't start shit if you don't want shit, faggot. I never said anything to you until you started swiping at me.)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606331)

another failed "revolution"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606387)

"The protests began peacefully and were recognized as legitimate by the Iranian government. They suddenly turned violent when foreign and domestic terrorist actors entered the scene, so blocking communication among organizers of the rioters and terrorists was an imperative."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606480)

They killed hundreds of protestors and shut down the internet in 2022 during the woman life freedom protests . This strategy is nothing new.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5824545&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310481#49606730)