National Security and Foreign Policy

Mass anti‑government protests sparked by economic collapse and soaring inflation have spread across dozens of cities in Iran, with rights groups reporting anywhere from hundreds to several thousand killed and thousands detained amid a near‑nationwide internet blackout and efforts to block Starlink. In response, the U.S. has publicly warned Tehran—President Trump saying America is “locked and loaded” as a carrier strike group moves toward the region and the U.S. Embassy urged citizens to leave—while Sen. Ted Cruz urged arming protesters and Iran‑backed militias (including Kataib Hezbollah) and Iranian leaders have threatened retaliation, even warning U.S. bases and forces would be legitimate targets.

Valizadeh’s lawyers have petitioned the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, arguing Iran is unlawfully holding Abdolreza “Reza” Valizadeh — a dual U.S.–Iranian journalist who became a U.S. citizen in 2022 while working for Radio Farda — after his arrest by the IRGC on Sept. 22, 2024; he is being held in solitary at Evin Prison and was formally designated “wrongfully detained” by the U.S. State Department in May 2025. Valizadeh, a longtime critic of the Iranian regime who returned to Iran in spring 2024 to care for aging parents amid what his family says were misleading assurances that may have involved a former colleague with IRGC ties, was detained amid a nationwide protest crackdown, near‑total internet blackout and heightened U.S.–Iran tensions that have raised fears detainees could be used as leverage.