Iran's efforts to quell the wave of anti-government protests have been complicated by Donald Trump's threat to intervene on their side, a warning firmly underlined by the subsequent US capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, officials and insiders said on Monday. A day before US special forces seized Maduro and his wife on January 3 and whisked them off to New York, the US president warned in a social media post that if Iran's leadership killed protesters who have taken to the streets since December 28 the US "will come to their rescue." At least 17 people have died so far.
Tehran's options have been limited by Trump's threats and a long-running economic crisis that deepened after Israel, joined by the US, launched strikes on the Islamic Republic in June in a 12-day war that pummeled several of Iran's nuclear sites. But, even if smaller, these protests have quickly expanded from an economic focus to broader frustrations, with some protesters chanting "Down with the Islamic Republic" or "Death to the dictator" - a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters. (Read More)
