Iran Protests and U.S. Policy

State media, citing the Martyrs Foundation, announced an official death toll of 3,117 from weeks of nationwide protests — a count substantially lower than independent tallies from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and other groups amid a near‑total internet blackout and mass arrests. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated in a Wall Street Journal op‑ed that Iran would retaliate "with everything we have" if the U.S. attacks, even as Washington weighs options from sanctions and cyber operations to possible strikes and has repositioned naval forces toward the region.

The White House acknowledged a secret weekend meeting between Trump envoy Steve Witkoff (and reportedly other senior aides including Jared Kushner) and exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, even as President Trump publicly questioned whether Iranians would accept Pahlavi’s leadership, calling him "very nice" but saying a meeting may not yet be appropriate. Pahlavi meanwhile unveiled a six‑step plan calling for "maximum economic pressure" on Tehran — targeting IRGC leadership and command-and-control, blocking regime assets and dismantling "ghost" oil tankers, enabling uncensored internet access and cyber operations to prevent shutdowns, expelling diplomats and pursuing legal cases, securing the release of political prisoners, and preparing recognition of a transitional government.