US launches battleship towards Iran, UN warns of unprecedented deaths during protests

Amid a several-week internet blockade, information about the extent of the crackdown on protests began with businessmen in Tehran protesting inflation and the depreciation of national currency continues to be discovered slowly as human rights groups are collecting data from hospitals and eyewitnesses.

Human rights activist news agency (HRANA), headquartered in the US, says that by January 22nd, after 26 days of protests, it has verified 5,002 deaths, including 201 members of security forces, while more than 9,787 deaths are still being investigated.

Mai Satto, the UN's special human rights rapporteur in Iran, said on January 22nd that the number of civilians killed during the crackdown could exceed 20,000 as reports by doctors come to light.

During a January 23rd meeting on events in Iran, the UN Council for Human Rights expressed deep concern over “the unprecedented extent of violent crackdown on peaceful protests by the security forces in Iran, reports of untrial killings of protesters, including women and children, as well as excessive and deadly use of force, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of peaceful protesters and the wounding of many others”.

American President Donald Trump said on January 22nd that the United States had a “float that was heading towards Iran, but hoped it would not have to use it, while repeating the warnings against Tehran not to kill protesters and resume its nuclear programme.

We have many ships going that way, in case. I'd rather it didn't happen, but if we're watching them very closely... we've got a fleet... going that way and maybe we won't have to use it”, Trump told reporters aboard the presidential aircraft as he was returning to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

USS aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and several other missile-made battleships are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days. /Periscope