Tensions with Iran escalate as domestic crackdown toll mounts and US signals military posture
International concern deepened as reporting documented a brutal government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran that rights groups say left thousands dead and thousands more detained. Independent tallies and major outlets have placed the death toll in the thousands, prompting condemnation and calls for accountability. Against this backdrop, former President Trump and senior US officials signalled a hardened posture: public statements referenced an American naval presence being moved toward the Middle East — framed as a deterrent — while Iranian commanders vowed to repel any attack. The mix of domestic repression, rising casualty counts and competing military signalling has raised alarm among diplomats and analysts about the risk of miscalculation and regional escalation. Calls for international investigation into rights abuses are growing even as governments weigh how to respond without further inflaming tensions.