Exclusive; White House on Suppression of Protests in Iran: President Trump's Warning to the Islamic Republic is Serious

As protests and nationwide strikes against the Islamic Republic continue to spread, a White House official told the Persian section of Voice of America that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is serious about acting on his warning against Iranian officials. In response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the regime's continued violent and deadly crackdown on protesters amid the expansion of public protests across various regions of Iran, the official stated that Donald Trump has explicitly said that if the Islamic Republic continues its usual violent practice of shooting and killing peaceful protesters, 'they will suffer a severe blow.' The White House official continued that the President has demonstrated his seriousness about his words through operations like 'Midnight Hammer' and 'Absolute Resolve.' The 'Midnight Hammer' operation was aimed at destroying the Islamic Republic's enrichment program, while 'Absolute Resolve' was executed for the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. In less than a week, the President reiterated his warning against Tehran officials twice. Additionally, a spokesperson for the State Department, in response to a request from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the expansion of protests and public strikes in Iran, said: 'Regarding the actions of Iranian officials, President Trump clearly stated: 'If they start killing people like before, I think they will suffer a severe blow from the United States.' This spokesperson added: 'These protests reflect the understandable anger of the Iranian people over their government's failures and excuses for providing them with a better life. For decades, the Iranian regime has ignored Iran's economy, agriculture, water, and electricity to spend billions of Iran's wealth on proxy terrorist groups and nuclear weapons research while suppressing the Iranian people.' He also stated: 'The Iranian regime continues to support terrorism worldwide and suppress the Iranian people who seek and deserve a better life.' Reports and published data indicate that the scope of the protests has expanded both geographically and in terms of participation from various segments of society, covering markets, urban neighborhoods, industrial centers, and universities. In several of these areas, a heavy presence of repressive forces has been reported, and efforts to disperse protesters have involved shooting, tear gas, and clashes. In other cities, including Tabriz, Mashhad, Karaj, Kermanshah, Zanjan, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Nishapur, Gonabad, Lahijan, Bandar Abbas, Shiraz, Fasa, Falavarjan, Assaluyeh, Lordegan, Shahr-e Kord, Bojnourd, Babolsar, Amol, Sabzevar, Qeydar, Pordanjan, and several other cities, widespread street gatherings and strikes have been reported. In many of these cities, merchants and shopkeepers played a significant role in continuing the protests by closing their shops, leading to the effective shutdown of many local markets. Protesters at Wednesday's gatherings chanted anti-government and overthrow slogans, expressing their opposition to the power structure of the Islamic Republic. The widespread nature of these slogans and their repetition in various cities indicate the alignment of protesters' demands across different regions of the country.