Overview
- Iran’s supreme leader acknowledged for the first time that several thousand people were killed during the protests and he blamed the United States and Israel for the bloodshed.
- Rights monitors HRANA and Iran Human Rights estimate more than 3,000 deaths and tens of thousands of arrests, figures that cannot be independently verified due to severe internet restrictions tracked by NetBlocks.
- President Donald Trump told Politico it is time to look for new leadership in Iran and called Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a sick man, after earlier thanking Tehran for reportedly canceling more than 800 planned hangings that Iran has not confirmed.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump ordered strike preparations on January 13 but stood down after objections from advisers and regional partners, with the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group now moving toward the region as a deterrent.
- The State Department warned of reports that Iran may target U.S. bases and promised a very powerful response, while former ambassador Dan Shapiro publicly predicted—without confirmation—that Trump may attempt to target Khamenei in the coming days.