Massive Protests in Iran

Iran marks this Saturday two weeks of massive protests that have caused more than 50 deaths, encouraged by Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Persia, who has urged Iranians to continue protesting this weekend and to start a general strike to bring down the Islamic Republic of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while the country has been without internet or international telephone service for nearly 48 hours. "The United States stands with the brave people of Iran," Rubio wrote succinctly on his X account. U.S. President Donald Trump has been warning of a possible intervention in Iran due to the violence against protesters, who initially complained about the country's poor economic situation, but later extended their grievances to the supreme leader and the Islamic Republic. In a message in Farsi posted on his X account with a video, Pahlavi once again called on Iranians to take to the streets this weekend, at 6:00 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. GMT) on Saturday and Sunday, with flags, images, and national symbols. The Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) reported on Friday that there are at least 51 dead since December 28. The Iranian Army added that the "aggressive" and "perverse" U.S. government has hatched conspiracies to regain its dominance over the Iranian people, and defended that Washington has joined the "criminal Zionist regime," in reference to Israel, and "terrorist groups" to disrupt the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), operating from the United States, reports at least 65 dead and 2,311 detained. The Army prepares for the U.S. "plot". The Iranian Army, for its part, assured this Saturday that it will seriously face any "plot" sponsored by the United States to incite instability and disrupt the security of the Islamic Republic. "Our goal is no longer just to go out into the streets; the goal is to prepare to take over the city centers and hold them," Pahlavi said on social networks, who has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution led by Ali Khamenei overthrew his father. He also assured that he is preparing to "return to the homeland" so that, at "the moment of victory of our revolution," he can "be by the side" of "the great nation of Iran." In a statement picked up by the Iranian Tasnim agency, the Army urged the population to "remain alert" and thwart "hostile plots that seek to incite instability and unrest" in the country. On this Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the nation's residents. Dozens dead and hundreds detained. The protests, which began with Tehran's Grand Bazaar merchants on December 28 and have spread to more than a hundred cities, have resulted in dozens of deaths, according to opposition NGOs based abroad.