The US and Israeli strikes on Iran follow the Islamic Republic’s violent repression of mass protests and stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington over existential issues for Iran: its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and regional proxies.
Here is a blow-by-blow account:
Protest crackdown
Protests over economic hardship erupted in Tehran in late December before spreading nationwide as a broad anti-government movement, peaking on January 8 and 9.
The unrest prompted a violent crackdown by Iranian authorities, with the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) recording more than 7,000 deaths, mostly protesters, while warning the full toll was likely far higher.
In addition, more than 53,000 people have been arrested since January.
US President Donald Trump has cited 32,000 deaths, echoing figures reported by Persian-language media based outside of Iran.
For their part, Iranian authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths but blame the violence on “terrorist acts” they alleged were orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
As the crackdown was waged, Trump initially pledged to the Iranian people on January 13 that “help is on its way” and ordered the biggest military build-up in decades in the Middle East.
Nuclear Programme
While Trump initially focused on the protest crackdown, he soon pivoted to Iran’s nuclear programme — a long-standing point of contention. Western powers have accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, allegations Iran denies.
The United States has pushed for a total ban on all uranium enrichment, even for civilian purposes, while Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful, despite enriching uranium to 60 per cent — a level exceeding civilian requirements.
Washington and Tehran opened indirect talks in Geneva this week in an attempt to revive a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.
On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address to Congress, Trump spoke of Iran’s “sinister nuclear ambitions” and accused Tehran of seeking to develop weapons that could hit the United States.
The latest round of negotiations concluded on Thursday without an agreement as Washington reportedly sought to have negotiations include Tehran’s ballistic missile program and regional network of proxy militias.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Friday that Washington must abandon its “excessive demands” if it hopes to secure an agreement, without specifying which terms he was referring to.
