In Iran, a lethal crackdown by a seemingly panicked regime has resulted in thousands killed. Now, Tehran's streets are quiet, suggesting an enforced business-as-usual. Middle East expert Dr. Sanam Vakil talks with Elizabeth Palmer about why, despite this latest show of force, the regime may be close to a breaking point.

Tehran

A recent mass uprising in Iran led to a harsh response from the government, with reports indicating that over 3,000 protesters were killed during the crackdown. The unrest was sparked by economic grievances and longstanding anger over clerical rule, with the government shutting down the internet to suppress images of the violence.

Despite initial warnings of possible U.S. intervention, American support did not materialize, and the protests ultimately subsided under regime control. Analysts warn that the situation remains unstable, with the Iranian government retaining forceful control but facing repeated cycles of increasingly intense protests.

Expert: Iran "a ticking time bomb" after mass uprising

When it turned off the internet, Iran's regime hoped to suppress pictures like these. But they leaked out anyway. Bullet-riddled bodies of protesters. More than 3,000 by some estimates killed in a lethal crackdown by an apparently panicked regime. Sanam Vakil is an Iran analyst. But I think that they were desperate and did whatever it took to exert control on the streets. So this was all about not being pushed out of power? Absolutely. Probably there was a calculation internally that if they didn't go from zero to a hundred and quickly that these protests would become something severe. The cost of living and years of anger over Iran's clerical rules sparked the protest. And at the outset, President Trump warned the U.S. might intervene. I tell the Iranian leaders you better not start shooting because we'll start shooting too. But a few days later he backed off. Iran cancelled the hanging of over 800 people. They were going to hang over 800 people yesterday. And I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled that. Without U.S. support, the mass uprising collapsed. Tehran's streets were quiet. A regime-enforced business as usual. But this may turn out to be a breaking point. Ticking bomb? I think so. Iran has experienced a series of protests every few years. And each protest has become more powerful, more potent, more violent. So yes, this is a ticking time bomb. But the government still retains the monopoly of force. And it's not afraid to use it. So what next? I do think U.S. strikes are still very much on the table. Just because Donald Trump didn't keep his word and support the protesters last week doesn't mean there won't be some other reason to strike Iran. And I think that the regime knows that. Iran's government has now cranked up its propaganda machine. The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the protests an American conspiracy. And blamed the unrest squarely on Israel and the CIA. At the end of a tragic two weeks, thousands of Iranians have lost everything. And the regime has won. At least for now.

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