Situation in Iran in 5 points "Streets full of blood" - will Trump intervene now?

The demonstrations in Iran continue, even though the regime is taking full force. Will Donald Trump now intervene? What options does he have? Who is Rubina Aminian and what role does the crown prince play? Here are five questions - and answers.

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Iran is gripped by the biggest unrest since 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini was killed by the morality police in mid-September 2022. The regime is responding to the latest protests with "maximum severity": As the Attorney General has announced, arrested protesters are to be declared "enemies of God" and executed.

According to the Human Rights Activist New Agency (HRNA), which operates from the USA, 10,681 people have now been arrested. The HRNA puts the death toll at 544. Pictures showing mountains of body bags are circulating on the internet. They are said to be victims of the regime. However, the authenticity of the photos cannot be verified.

According to Ian Brian Hook, the US special envoy to Iran, the demonstrations, which have been going on for a good two weeks, could have cost the lives of over 1,000 citizens. "We know for sure that there are many, many hundreds," he is quoted as saying by NBC News.

The uncertainty regarding the exact numbers is of course due to the news blackout caused by the internet shutdown. The number of victims could also be significantly higher.

The regime in Tehran is adapting its language to the violence on the streets. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the protest has become "violent and bloody" and speaks of "terrorist operations" being carried out. However, the situation is "completely under control".

This is contradicted by a Tehran source for the British BBC: "The situation here is very, very bad". The security forces had fired live ammunition. "It's like a war zone, the streets are full of blood. They are taking the bodies away in trucks," it said.

The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) is drawing attention to a terrible fate: the death of Rubina Aminian. The 23-year-old was shot in the back of the head at close range in Tehran on January 8.

The Kurdish woman from Marivan studied fashion design in the capital and joined the protests on Thursday evening after university. Her family had to identify the body - and also saw "the bodies of hundreds of young people", writes IHR.

"It wasn't just my daughter. I saw hundreds of bodies with my own eyes," the victim's mother is quoted as saying. Many of the bodies had gunshot wounds to the head, it continues.

The US President's statement at the weekend that he would punish violence against demonstrators is likely to have fueled the protests. Obviously, he is now taking more than rigorous action against resistance. Is the US President acting now?

Possibly not: the 79-year-old declared on board Air Force One on Sunday evening that Tehran had proposed negotiations following his threat to intervene militarily.

"Iran has called, they want to negotiate," said Donald Trump. The US government is currently in talks with Tehran to set up a meeting, he added. "I think they're tired of being beaten up by the United States," said the US President.

At the same time, he explained that he might have to act first after all, as there is talk of increasing numbers of victims in Iran and the leadership in Tehran continues to arrest protesters.

According to US government circles, Trump and his national security advisors are considering a range of options for taking action against the Iranian leadership. Trump said that the military and his administration had "some very strong options" for intervening in Iran.

Referring to Iran's warning of retaliation, he said: "If they do that, we will hit them in a way they've never been hit before."

For the US Navy to launch an air strike, there would ideally have to be two aircraft carriers in the vicinity of Iran - but no such luck: The units that are normally there have been withdrawn to the Caribbean in the direction of Venezuela.

However, military strikes are of course still possible: as with the US attack on Iran's nuclear program in June, stealth B-2 bombers could take off from the USA and fly their deadly cargo to the Middle East. They could also be supported by fighter jets stationed in the Middle East.

However, the Pentagon would not have to risk the lives of American pilots: Washington could also opt for an attack with cruise missiles fired from submarines or ships.

Another alternative are attacks without the involvement of the military. For example, cyber attacks could paralyze the regime's communication, which, unlike the population, still has Internet access. Alternatively, internet access could be restored for broad sections of the population, for example with Starlink terminals. "We may have to talk to Elon Musk," said Donald Trump according to CNBC.

In contrast to previous unrest in Iran, the son of the late Shah appears to be a factor this time: Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the USA, has called for a strike and a "national uprising". "We are not alone," says the 65-year-old crown prince in a video and promises his people: "International support will arrive soon."

Pahlavi has also contacted Trump's home and court broadcaster "Fox News" - and addressed the US president directly: "You have already established your legacy as a man committed to peace and fighting evil forces," the Iranian baits the American.

"There is a reason why people in Iran name streets after you. They know that you are the exact opposite of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They know that they would not betray you like [Obama and Biden] did," Pahlavi believes.

There is now a chance to topple the mullah regime: "I am prepared to return to Iran at the first opportunity," assures the father of three daughters. "I'm already planning that and the transition team. We just hope that the Iranian people will be victorious this time, and they will be."

The crown prince adds: "I know that Iranians are ready to die for this cause, and so am I." The problem: Pahlavi has not been in the country for decades - and his father's regime made the Islamic Revolution of 1979 possible in the first place. On the other hand, the crown prince is one of the few prominent faces of the resistance.