CHICAGO ¨C Three weeks into Iran¡¯s latest wave of protests, the country has now spent more than 10 days cut off from the outside world. Not only has internet access been shut down nationwide, but even basic landline and mobile phone connections are disabled.
Nonetheless, the few images that have emerged ¡ª transmitted sporadically through Starlink connections ¡ª depict what appears to be a widespread military-style crackdown against civilians, with blood-soaked bodies lining the streets and mothers wailing in grief.
The central question confronting the country is how the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his inner circle will respond, and whether a broader war is becoming unavoidable. In two speeches delivered since the protests began, Khamenei¡¯s determination to preserve the regime seemed resolute. He explicitly accused the United States and Israel of orchestrating the unrest and warned them about the consequences of their actions. At the same time, he dismissed protesters as ¡°rioters¡± and ¡°naive individuals¡± who had been deceived by foreign powers.
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