US President Donald Trump has said he supports dialogue but has sent mixed signals about whether he plans to attack Iran and prepare for war.
The United States has moved military assets closer to the Middle East in recent weeks, raising concerns that war is becoming more likely.
President Trump said on January 22 that the United States had an “armada” against Iran “just in case” and added that while “we don’t want to see what happens,” the United States is watching Iran “very closely.” Hours earlier on the same day, he said Iran wanted to negotiate and the United States was ready to do so.
“Iran wants to talk and we will talk,” Trump said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, without providing further details.
President Trump’s stated reason for attacking Iran was to stop the regime from killing protesters. Since the protests began in late December, he has repeatedly warned that the United States would attack Iran if the government used lethal force against civilians.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) announced that at least 5,520 protesters have been killed since the anti-government demonstrations began. Iranian authorities put the death toll at 3,117, including “civilians,” security forces, and those identified as “terrorists.” CNN cannot independently verify the death toll.
Protests have subsided in Iran since then, but security forces crushed them in the worst crackdown in the Islamic republic’s history.
Iranian doctor says regime is targeting hospitalized protesters
Iranian doctors are risking everything to help injured protesters as regime forces take control of hospitals and detain patients. In a rare interview from inside Iran, a doctor told CNN’s Jomana Karashe about an underground network treating the wounded and accused government forces of killing protesters in hospital beds. CNN has hidden the doctor’s voice and face to ensure safety and anonymity.
