By Matt Underwood About 2,000 killed in Iran protests, official says – the sheer gravity of this statement is hard to fully grasp. When an official source admits to such a staggering loss of life, it forces you to question the true scale of the tragedy. One can’t help but wonder if the actual number of fatalities is exponentially higher than the “official” figure, perhaps significantly so. The initial reports of 650 confirmed deaths, even those from just days ago, seem minuscule now, when the official numbers have increased.
The situation in Iran feels almost unbelievable, doesn’t it? Reports circulating mention numbers that are much higher – potentially exceeding 12,000 deaths. The idea that this is a deliberate massacre of innocent people by their own government is something that’s truly difficult to accept. When you see a regime try to control the narrative by fabricating death tolls, the picture becomes even more disturbing. It’s a tactic we’ve seen before, similar to what happened during the peak of COVID-19, and it speaks volumes about the lengths to which they’ll go to control the information flow.
One can’t help but feel a deep sense of despair. The fact that protesters are reportedly targeting government buildings and officials, allegedly killing many IRGC officials and guards, raises the question of whether this is even a protest anymore. Does it qualify as a civil war? When a government turns on its own people, it defies comprehension. It’s a terrifying situation.
The world needs to take notice. The idea that families are being forced to pay exorbitant amounts, sometimes to the tune of $5,000 or more, to receive the bodies of their loved ones is horrific. And then there are reports of the media blackout, a tactic employed to control what the outside world knows. The silence surrounding this situation is deafening, and it allows the atrocities to continue.
There is a natural impulse to want someone to step in. And you can’t help but ask, at what point does a nation that promised to support the protestors, keep its word? Yet, intervention has its own complications. Without a clear leader to take the Ayatollah’s place, any attempt to provide help could easily lead to a chaotic implosion. The option of bombing isn’t ideal. The complexities are agonizing, even the mere thought of intervention is hard to resolve.
The underreporting by certain news outlets is also disheartening. The BBC, for example, is accused of presenting numbers that are lower than the regime’s own figures. From previous experiences of deaths and protests, the real numbers are likely to be much higher. And the use of foreign-speaking militias, sniping children, suggests a deliberate strategy, further compounding the tragedy.
The government’s actions bring to mind the mistakes made by Israel in Gaza, or even the historical precedents set by past administrations. Blocking the media, which, when coupled with the lack of international concern, makes it a hard situation to resolve.
It’s tempting to want to push for regime change. But, as some experts point out, this could be a dangerous gamble without proper planning and organization. If there isn’t a proper leader, the consequences might be too much. We must let the protests develop organically, and let the movement gather momentum before enacting actions.
The definition of a civil war is complex. Is there a clear understanding of the goals, or who the leaders are? The uprising’s success will ultimately determine what kind of struggle it is. A genuine civil war has to have both clearly defined sides with clear leaders and end goals. What kind of government or organization replaces the one currently in power is as important.
It is disheartening to witness the control the Revolutionary Guard has over the economy, the resulting inflation, and the shift in power. These issues further complicate the situation, making it harder to establish stability and lasting peace. The complexities seem never-ending.