Iran Protest Movement Appears to Have Died Down for Now, Think Tank Says

The protest movement in Iran appears to have abated at least for now, according to a U.S. think tank and research group in a recent update.

The Institute for the Study of War said that as of Thursday, the Iranian regime’s “pervasive securitization measures and violent crackdown on protests appear to have suppressed protest activity for now,” adding that it “recorded zero protests” on that day.

That’s the second day in a row that the group has not seen any protest activity in Iran, it said in an update that was posted late on Thursday night.

Some demonstrators, residents, and activists in Iran have told Reuters that protests have also died down in recent days due to the clampdown. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday in a Fox News interview that the regime currently maintains authority.

“We are in full control,” Araghchi said, while blaming the demonstrations on terrorist groups. “And let’s, you know, hope that wisdom would prevail. And we don’t go for a high level of tension, which could be disastrous for everybody.”

The protests erupted on Dec. 28 over soaring inflation in Iran, where the economy has been crippled by sanctions, before morphing into one of the biggest challenges yet to the clerical establishment that has run Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Demonstrations were followed by a broad clampdown by the Iranian regime, which also cut off internet access inside the country at one point. Some Iranian websites, including those of state-run media outlets, remain offline as of Friday morning.

Due to the blackout in the country, verifying information about protests or the death toll reported by human rights groups is difficult.

The Institute for the Study of War noted that Iran’s security force-led clampdown is not sustainable in the long term and that protests may erupt again “when the regime is no longer able to sustain this mobilization,” adding that such a move would also risk “burning out and exhausting these forces.”

“The regime is also taking other measures to securitize society, such as sustaining its nationwide internet shutdown, that impose a significant cost on the regime,” it said.

“The regime’s willingness to sustain these securitization measures highlights how the regime still perceives its population as a serious threat. It is unclear, however, how long the regime will be able to sustain these measures.”

On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told the U.N. that “all options” can be used against Iran amid widespread protests and a regime-initiated clampdown that rights groups say has killed around 2,000.

“Colleagues, let me be clear: President [Donald] Trump is a man of action. Not endless talk like we see at the United Nations,” Waltz told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, according to a readout.

Waltz added that Trump has indicated “that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter—and no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime,” referring to U.S. airstrikes that damaged its nuclear production sites in June.

The White House and Trump have signaled that the U.S. military could carry out strikes or an operation in Iran to end the suppression of protesters. He’s also backed protesters, who started demonstrations in late December in response to the country’s economic situation, including inflation, currency depreciation, and rising food prices.

Although Trump has made a number of comments about a possible U.S. response to Iran, Trump said on Wednesday evening that Iranian officials have told the administration that the “killing in Iran is stopping” and there was no “plan for executions” of dissidents and protesters.

“I’ve been told that on good authority,” he added.

A day later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at her daily briefing on Thursday that Trump and his team “have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.”

“The president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted,” Leavitt added.

Reuters contributed to this report.