Iranian Students Protest for Third Day as US Pressure Mounts

Iranian Students Protest for Third Day as US Pressure Mounts

by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Iranian students defied authorities with protests for a third day on Monday, weeks after security forces crushed mass unrest with thousands killed and as the United States weighs possible air strikes against the Islamic Republic.

State media outlets reported students chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran University, burning flags at the all-women al-Zahra University, and scuffles at Amir Kabir University, all located in the capital.

Reuters also verified video showing students at al-Zahra University chanting slogans including “we’ll reclaim Iran,” but was not able to confirm when it was recorded.

In a new sign of the mounting tension in the Middle East, the United States began pulling non-essential personnel and family members from the embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran since major nationwide protests across the country in January, saying on Thursday that “really bad things will happen” if talks between the countries fail to produce a deal.

Washington wants Iran to give up much of its nuclear program, which it believes is aimed at building a bomb, limit the range of its missiles to short distances, and stop supporting terrorist groups it backs in the Middle East.

It has built up forces across the Middle East, putting increased pressure on Iran as it weighs its response to US demands amid ongoing talks.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei already faces the gravest crisis of his 36-year tenure, with an economy struggling under the weight of international sanctions and growing unrest that broke out into major protests in January.

Khamenei Prepares Secretive Succession Plan In Case He's Assassinated

Khamenei Prepares Secretive Succession Plan In Case He's Assassinated

TYLER DURDEN

As US carriers deploy in the Mideast region and with tense nuclear talks inching forward in Geneva, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reportedly taking Washington threats of assassination very seriously.

According to a Sunday report by The New York Times, Khamenei has quietly established detailed succession plans and emergency chains of command in the event he - or other top regime figures - are killed in potential US or Israeli strikes.

The contingency blueprint, drafted amid escalating threats and last month's nationwide unrest, is said to ensure continuity of power under wartime conditions. Central to that plan is the elevation of longtime insider Ali Larijani.

The report says that at the height of the protests and amid mounting US military pressure, Khamenei tapped Larijani - a former Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commander and political heavyweight - to assume a dominant governing role, effectively sidelining President Masoud Pezeshkian and consolidating crisis management under a trusted loyalist.

NY Times writes, "Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed Mr. Larijani and a handful of other close political and military associates to ensure that the Islamic Republic survives not only American and Israeli bombs, but also any assassination attempts on its top leadership, including on Ayatollah Khamenei himself, according to the six senior officials and the Guards members."

Nasser Imani, a conservative analyst close to the government, told the outlet over the phone: "The supreme leader fully trusts Larijani. He believes Larijani is the man for this sensitive juncture because of his political track record, sharp mind and knowledge."

Imani added: "He relies on him for reports on the situation and pragmatic advice. Larijani’s role will be very pronounced during war."

According to more details of the emergency wartime succession planning:

According to the six senior officials and the Guards members, Ayatollah Khamenei has issued a series of directives. He has named four layers of succession for each of the military command and government roles that he personally appoints. 

He has also told everyone in leadership roles to name up to four replacements and has delegated responsibilities to a tight circle of confidants to make decisions in case communications with him are disrupted or he is killed.

The Times claims Larijani had overseen the crackdown on demonstrators and coordinated closely with Moscow, and may have even had serious input in how to deal on the diplomatic front with Washington.

More...

US Begins Evacuating Some Personnel From Beirut Embassy As Iran War Looms

US Begins Evacuating Some Personnel From Beirut Embassy As Iran War Looms

TYLER DURDEN

When it comes to the Middle East and rising tensions, the most watched US diplomatic compound in the whole region is the American embassy in Beirut.

When things get hot, or America is at war, the threat level is always raised here first - given also that it has in the past been attacked, especially in the early 1980s with suicide bombings.

Now with potential war with Iran looming, the US State Department is taking no chances, also given Iran's main proxy group, Lebanese Hezbollah, is very active in the capital. If the US were to attack Tehran, it's entirely possible that Hezbollah could in turn hit American interests in Lebanon.

On Monday, a senior State Dept official conformed the order has gone out for the departure of non-emergency personnel at the embassy in Beirut.

"We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel," the US official told Al Jazeera.

"The Embassy remains operational with core staff in place," the source detailed. "This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens."

Again, the heightened precautions are seen as especially necessary in a place like Beirut, which decades ago even saw the American ambassador assassinated. According to a US State Dept outline of past events:

More...

Zelensky's Push for Extended Conflict Tied to ‘Personal Survival’ – Report

Zelensky's Push for Extended Conflict Tied to ‘Personal Survival’ – Report

Sputnik

Media reports earlier said that Zelensky is poised to continue fighting despite the Ukrainian military’s huge losses and the Russian army’s ongoing advance on all front lines. 

Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly announced Ukraine’s readiness to fight Russia “for another three years" just as “the repercussions of the corruption investigations are increasingly hitting him,” Junge Welt writes.

It remains unclear what Zelensky hopes to gain from this, the newspaper reports, suggesting that the leader of the Ukrainian regime apparently hopes to “politically outlive Trump and find a more supportive US administration.”“

This speculation could, of course, backfire—for example, if the current Vice President JD Vance were to succeed Trump. Or if the Ukrainian army's capacity and willingness to resist don't last another three years,” Junge Welt sums up.

Zelensky rejects territorial concessions to Russia

Zelensky rejects territorial concessions to Russia

RT

Kiev will never rescind its territorial claims on formerly Ukrainian regions lost to Russia and is set on seizing them back in the future, Vladimir Zelensky has stated, once again ruling out withdrawing from Donbass.

In an interview with the BBC published on Monday, Zelensky reiterated his refusal to withdraw from the areas of Donbass still under Ukrainian control, claiming such a move would only “divide” the country’s society.

A withdrawal has been one of the key Russian demands and the main issue of the ongoing US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kiev. Moreover, the Ukrainian leader said the country remains set on getting back all the territories it has lost to Russia. 

“We’ll do it. That is absolutely clear. It is only a matter of time,” he stated.  

Zelensky admitted that Ukraine is currently unable to accomplish this because it lacks both sufficient funds and troops.  

“To do it today would mean losing a huge number of people – millions of people – because the [Russian] army is large, and we understand the cost of such steps,” he said. “And we also don’t have enough weapons. That depends not just on us, but on our partners.”  

The Ukrainian leader repeated his longstanding talking point about getting all the territories within the 1991 borders, when the country became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Seizing all the land back would constitute “victory of justice for the whole world,” Zelensky asserted.

The territories in question include Crimea, which broke away from Ukraine in the aftermath of the Western-backed 2014 Maidan coup and joined Russia via a referendum shortly after. The Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics declared their independence early on in the post-Maidan conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass. The DPR and LPR joined Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions in being incorporated into Russia in late 2022 following referendums in which the overwhelming majority of the regions’ respective populations supported the move. 

While Russia controls the entire territory of the LPR, Kiev’s forces still hold roughly 20% of the DPR. Moscow’s control of Kherson and Zaporozhye remains partial, with the respective namesake capital cities of the two regions held by Ukraine.