Khaberni - The American newspaper New York Times stated on Sunday evening that three informed sources about the deliberations of the Iranian government acknowledged that the Islamic Republic is going through a critical stage.
The sources also noted concerns about Israel exploiting the instability to launch a new attack on Iran.
The report mentioned that on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran, the Supreme Security Council of Iran held an emergency meeting at night. They discussed ways to curb the protests using less violent means, to avoid escalating public anger.
At the same time, members of the council sought to prepare for the possibility of military strikes.
The three officials said that as protests intensified, top officials held private meetings and conversations in which they acknowledged that the Islamic Republic had been forced into a survival mode.
It was also reported that several advisors suggested to the Iranian President Masoud Bazkhashan to deflect blame from himself and cast responsibility on the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei addressed a harsh message to the protesters yesterday via a post on the X network, saying: "Protesting is a legitimate right, but it differs from rioting. We are talking with the protesters, and it is the duty of government officials to talk to them. Talking with rioters, however, is fruitless; their excesses must be limited."
The protests began eight days ago in Tehran, following the shop owners' dismay at the sharp decline in the Iranian rial's value against the dollar, in addition to a series of economic hardships. By Tuesday, university students had joined the protests, which had spread to several cities, where demonstrators chanted slogans against the religious rule in the country. This is considered the largest wave of protests since 2022.
