UN rights chief expresses concern over Iran's violent crackdown on protests

Families of the passengers of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 which was shot down by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 2020 expressed support for Iran protests, called for an end to the violent repression of protests.

In a statement on Friday, the Association of Families of PS752 Victims said strikes, protests and market closures are lawful civic acts, and condemned the use of force, mass arrests and live fire against unarmed citizens.

The group said protesters are openly calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic from the outset, with demands going beyond mismanagement and systemic corruption.

The families said news of protesters being killed has deepened their anger and grief ahead of the sixth anniversary of the PS752 shootdown on January 8, stressing that human lives must not be the cost of state misrule.

Citing their own experience, they warned that denial of truth, refusal to accept responsibility and impunity for perpetrators inevitably pave the way for further disasters.

The association voiced solidarity with protesters and called for an immediate halt to violent repression, transparent and independent accountability for those killed, injured or detained, the release of all detainees, and respect for the right to peaceful assembly and free expression.

Teacher unions and labor groups from multiple Iranian provinces publicly backed nationwide protests on their sixth day, warning that economic hardship, repression and inequality have pushed society toward open confrontation with the authorities.

Statements of support were issued by teachers’ unions in Mazandaran and Fars provinces as well as Eslamshahr and Nurabad Mamasani, with the Mazandaran teachers’ association using particularly stark language to describe a society driven to protest by hunger, repression and loss of dignity.

Labor groups, including the Free Union of Iranian Workers and the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Workers’ Syndicate, also voiced support for mass strikes and demonstrations, calling for nationwide unity.

Analysts and labor activists said the growing involvement of organized teachers and workers reflects grievances that go beyond wages, pointing to systemic injustice, shrinking livelihoods and sustained crackdowns that have turned professional demands into a broader social challenge to the Islamic Republic.

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior official and former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned on X that any “hostile” action would lead to the destruction of Israel, US bases and regional stability, responding to President Donald Trump’s warning to Tehran over the killing of protesters.

“The United States and Israel want to plunge the Iranian nation into insecurity like Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. The stance of the mad US president is in line with this agenda. Any hostile action will destroy the Zionist regime, US bases and regional stability. This time, it will be different.”

A phrase used by US President Donald Trump in support of Iran’s protesters carries a specific military meaning, analysts say, going beyond political rhetoric to signal a state of readiness for action.

International relations scholar Kamran Matin described Trump’s wording as an explicit threat that could be interpreted as readiness for military action.

Matin told Iran International that in Trump’s latest remarks, the scope of the threat appeared to expand beyond Iran’s missile or regional activities to include the government’s violent response to domestic protests.

At the same time, he cautioned that Trump’s personal style must be taken into account, noting that the president is known for shifting positions and statements that allow for multiple interpretations.

However, Matin said that verbal threats do not always translate into action.

Despite signs of military preparedness by the United States and Israel in the region, Matin emphasized that there remains a significant gap between verbal threats, actual military readiness, and the political decision to launch a direct attack.

Read more about 'locked and loaded'

In a message published on his Truth Social account, Donald Trump warned that if Iran’s rulers kill peaceful protesters, the United States would act to save the Iranian people.

"If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go."

The phrase “locked and loaded” is a classic military expression in English, meaning a weapon is armed, ammunition is in place, and it is ready to fire. Its roots lie in military training, particularly in the US armed forces, and the term has appeared in military literature since at least the eighteenth century.

Formally incorporated into weapons manuals around the time of World War II, the expression has long carried an operational and warning connotation. It is not merely a metaphor or casual figure of speech, but language traditionally used to indicate readiness for immediate action.

The expression has also become widely familiar through popular culture. In Hollywood war films, beginning notably with the 1949 film Sands of Iwo Jima starring John Wayne, “lock and load” is commonly used to signal the imminent start of combat. The phrase has since been embedded in video games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, where it typically precedes intense fighting scenes.

Trump has used similar language in previous high-tension situations, including during confrontations involving North Korea and Syria.

Senior US officials have also employed the term in moments of crisis, signaling that the military option is not only under consideration but operationally prepared.

'US ready for military action'

International relations scholar Kamran Matin described Trump’s wording as an explicit threat that could be interpreted as readiness for military action.

Matin told Iran International that in Trump’s latest remarks, the scope of the threat appeared to expand beyond Iran’s missile or regional activities to include the government’s violent response to domestic protests.

At the same time, he cautioned that Trump’s personal style must be taken into account, noting that the president is known for shifting positions and statements that allow for multiple interpretations.

However, Matin said that verbal threats do not always translate into action.

Despite signs of military preparedness by the United States and Israel in the region, Matin emphasized that there remains a significant gap between verbal threats, actual military readiness, and the political decision to launch a direct attack.