The UN Security Council is due to meet this Thursday (15) to discuss the situation in Iran, at the request of the United States.
The council confirms that the meeting will take place at 7pm Brasília time, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, USA.
The meeting comes as Iran has been experiencing a wave of protests across the country for three weeks. The number of deaths due to repression by the theocratic regime has now exceeded 2,500 and more than 18,000 people have been arrested, according to human rights organizations.
American President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in the situation if protesters continue to be repressed and killed. The leader also asked the population.
On Wednesday (14), Trump stated that “there are no plans for executions” in Iran and that the “killing is stopping”.
“We have been told that the killings in Iran are stopping and that there are no plans for executions,” he said in the Oval Office of the White House. “The deaths have stopped. The executions have stopped,” he added.
“There is no plan for executions, nor will there be any executions. I received this information from a reliable source. Let’s get informed. I’m sure if that happens, I will be very upset,” concluded the president.
In recent days, human rights groups have reported that the regime sentenced protester Erfan Soltani, 26, to death, detained less than a week ago, according to a family member and the US State Department.
However, the Iranian judiciary disputed the allegations and said he was not sentenced to death, according to state news agency IRIB.
Understand the protests in Iran
Anti-government protests in Iran erupted across the country in late December in a wave of national unrest that poses the biggest challenge to the regime in years.
The protests began as demonstrations in Tehran’s bazaars against rampant inflation, but spread across the country and turned into more general demonstrations against the regime.
Concerns about inflation reached a fever pitch last week when prices of staples like cooking oil and chicken soared dramatically overnight, with some products disappearing from shelves altogether.
The situation was worsened by the central bank’s decision to end a program that allowed some importers to access cheaper US dollars compared to the rest of the market – which led retailers to increase prices and some to close their doors, triggering protests.
The decision by the bazaaris, as they are known, is a drastic measure for a group traditionally aligned with the Islamic Republic.
The reformist-led government tried to ease the pressure by offering direct transfers of almost $7 a month, but the measure failed to quell dissatisfaction.
Authorities cut internet access and telephone lines on Thursday (8) – the biggest night of national demonstrations so far – leaving Iran virtually isolated from the outside world.
Human rights organizations said hundreds of people have been killed since the protests began.
Meanwhile, the US president, Donald Trumpthreatened to attack Iran if security forces respond with force. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneicalled on Trump to “focus on his own country” and blamed the US for inciting the protests.
