Trump has denied killing protesters in Iran. What the media is writing
US President Donald Trump has said that there are no killings of protesters in Iran, which is a signal to his refusal to strike. At the same time, sources say that the White House is still considering the possibility of military intervention. Meanwhile, Iran has closed its airspace for several hours. How the media react to what is happening in the republic is in the Izvestia digest.
The New York Times: Trump says Iran stops killing protesters
Trump said that the Iranian government had apparently stopped killing protesters, although he did not specify what this might mean for discussing the possibility of US military action against the country. He noted that he had received information from "very important sources on the other side" and that he would later "find out" how accurate it was. The US president did not disclose who exactly provided this information.
The New York Times
"We were told that the killings in Iran are stopping, they have stopped, they are stopping,— he told reporters at the White House. "And there are no plans for executions, at least that's what I've been informed about from reliable sources."
When Trump was asked if military action was now ruled out, he replied that he would monitor developments. The President's words can be interpreted as a rejection of any immediate plans of attack. But in June, just before the US military launched airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran, Trump claimed he would make a decision "within the next two weeks."
NBC News: Trump wanted swift and decisive military action against Iran
Trump told his national security team that he would like any U.S. military action in Iran to deal a swift and decisive blow to the regime, rather than provoke a protracted war that could last weeks or months, the sources said. However, Trump's advisers have not yet been able to guarantee him that power there will collapse quickly. There are concerns that the United States may not have all the necessary resources in the region to defend against what administration officials believe will be an aggressive Iranian response.
NBC News
According to a U.S. official and one of the sources familiar with the negotiations, such dynamics could push Trump to approve a more limited U.S. military offensive in Iran, at least initially, while maintaining the possibility of escalation — if he decides to take any military action at all. They noted that the situation was changing rapidly and no decisions had been made as of noon on January 14.
The sources said that Trump is ready to fulfill his repeated promises to protesters in Iran about US military intervention to support their efforts. He outlined to his national security team what he wants to achieve, and the Ministry of Defense developed options that meet his goals. The U.S. armed forces have not deployed large numbers of troops and equipment to the region, but they have planes, ships, and personnel in the region to launch targeted or limited strikes against Iran.
Reuters: Trump questions support for Iranian opposition leader
Trump said that Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi "seems to be a very pleasant person," but expressed uncertainty about whether he would be able to gain support inside Iran to eventually come to power. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in the protests, but he is reluctant to express full support for the son of the late Shah of Iran.
Reuters
"He seems like a very nice person, but I do not know how he would behave in his own country," Trump said. "And we haven't gotten to that yet." I do not know if his country will accept his leadership, and, of course, if it does, it will suit me perfectly."
Trump's comments further aggravated the situation, calling into question Pahlavi's ability to lead Iran, after he said last week that he had no plans to meet with him. 65-year-old Pahlavi had lived outside Iran since before his father's overthrow in the 1979 Islamic Revolution and today, living in the United States, has become a prominent participant. protests. The Iranian opposition is fragmented into competing groups and ideological factions, including monarchists, and has virtually no organized presence within the country itself.
Associated Press: Iran has closed its airspace to commercial aircraft for several hours.
Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights without explanation early in the morning on January 15. The flight restriction zone lasted for more than four hours. International airlines flew over Iran from north to south and back, but after one extension, the restriction apparently expired, and several domestic planes were already in the air in the morning.
Associated Press
Iran previously closed its airspace during the 12-day war against Israel in June, as well as during a firefight with Israel during the war between Israel and Hamas. However, there were no signs of fighting today, although the closure of the airspace immediately caused consequences for global aviation, as Iran is located on a key route between East and West.
In the past, Iran has mistaken a commercial aircraft for a hostile target. In 2020, an Iranian air defense system shot down Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 with two anti-aircraft missiles, killing all 176 people on board. Iran denied the accusations for several days before finally admitting it. The current closure of the airspace occurred after some employees of a key American military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate.
The Washington Post: Israel and Iran have secretly reassured each other
A few days before the protests in Iran began in late December, Israeli officials notified the Iranian leadership through Russia that they would not launch strikes against Iran unless Israel was attacked first. Iran responded through the Russian channel that it would also refrain from a preemptive strike, diplomats and regional officials said. The contacts were unusual, given the hostility between the two Middle Eastern rivals.
The Washington Post
These contacts reflected Israel's desire to avoid the perception of its actions as a factor exacerbating tensions with Iran or leading new attacks against it at a time when Israel is preparing a large-scale military campaign against Hezbollah <...>. These private assurances stood in stark contrast to Israel's public rhetoric late last year, when its officials openly hinted at the possibility of resuming strikes on Iran in order to reduce, in their words, the country's rapidly replenishing stock of ballistic missiles.
Although Iranian officials have responded positively to Israel's initiative, they remain apprehensive. Even if the Israeli assurances were sincere, they left open the possibility that the US military could launch attacks on Iran as part of a campaign coordinated by the two allies, while Israel would focus its firepower solely on Hezbollah.
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