US senator posts photo lighting cigarette with burning image of Khamenei
US Senator Tim Sheehy shared a photo online showing him lighting a cigarette with a burning image of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
As anti-government protests continue in Iran, the move has become trendy especially among young girls.
“Smoke 'em if you got 'em,” Sheehy wrote.
Senator Ted Cruz reacted to Sheehy’s post by writing: “Spectacular!!! America stands with the people of Iran against the Islamist tyrants.”
Senator Lindsey Graham also praised the post, calling it “beyond awesome,” and saying, “The bravest woman on the planet got a shout out from the baddest dude in the Senate.”
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Australians to leave Iran, as the ongoing protests may make it "impossible to leave later".
“Commercial options to depart are still available but becoming more limited. Airspace closures and flight cancellations could happen soon, making it impossible to leave later,” the updated advice warned.
“If you remain in Iran against our advice, you’re responsible for your own safety. Be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period. Make sure you have supplies of water, food and medication.”
Iran has reached out to the United States on Saturday and proposed holding talks on a nuclear deal, President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday.
"We may meet them,” he said, but said the meeting may come after a US attack on Iran.
“The leaders of Iran called yesterday to negotiate. I think they’re tired of being beat up by the US. We may meet with them. A meeting is being set up. But we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting,” Trump said.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States and its military was examining what he called very strong options on Iran as authorities continued a deadly crackdown on protestors across the country.
Asked by a reporter whether Iran had contravened red lines Trump set against killing protestors, he said: "They're starting to. It looks like, and there seem to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed."
"These are violent, if you call them leaders, I don't know if they're leaders or just they rule through violence, but we're looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it and we're looking at some very strong options. We'll make a determination."
He said he was getting an "hourly report" on the developments in Iran.
Asked about Iran's threats to target the US interests in the region in case of an American attack, Trump said "if they do that, we will hit them at levels that they've never been hit before. They won't even believe it."
"I have options that are so strong. So, I mean, if they did that, it'll be met with a very very powerful force."
Protests continued in Tehran and in northern Iran on Sunday despite a near-total internet blackout, as security forces used lethal force nationwide and reports from activists and medical sources pointed to hundreds, possibly thousands, killed.
Videos received by Iran International showed protests in Tehran, including the Punak neighborhood, and in Shahsavar in Mazandaran province on Sunday.
Videos from Tehran’s Kahrizak forensic center showed rows of bodies, while doctors in Rasht and Karaj said hospitals received dozens of dead in recent days. Independent verification has been hampered by the communications blackout.
Two eyewitnesses who visited Kahrizak in search of their loved ones told Iran International that they saw more than 400 bodies there. The most conservative estimates indicate that at least 2,000 people have been killed across Iran on January 8 and 9.
Internet monitoring groups NetBlocks and Cloudflare said nationwide connectivity remained near zero for a fourth day, isolating the country as protests resumed in Tehran and provincial cities, according to videos and eyewitness accounts sent to Iran International.
International reactions intensified. The UN secretary-general said he was “shocked” by reports of excessive force and urged restraint. European officials voiced concern, while Israel said it had gone on high alert amid the possibility of US intervention.
US President Donald Trump is set to be briefed on Tuesday on options to respond to the situation, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported, citing US officials. Axios said measures under discussion range from cyber and information operations to military deterrence, though officials cautioned that major strikes could backfire by undermining the protest movement.
Another report by Jerusalem Post said Trump is expected to assist Iranians protesting nationwide against Iran’s ruling establishment, The Jerusalem Post reported, citing several sources familiar with the details of the discussions held in recent days
“Trump has essentially decided to help the protesters in Iran. What he has not yet decided is the ‘how’ and the ‘when,’” the sources said, according to the report published on Sunday.
Iran’s leadership accused foreign enemies of fomenting unrest and warned that any US or Israeli attack would draw retaliation.
Overseas rallies by Iranians were reported across Europe, the UK, Turkey and Australia, as exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi called for sustained protests and strikes.
