Khamenei, Ali

• Why Israel Is Wary of Intervening in Iran - Israel is unlikely to do much to try to precipitate a regime change in Iran, seeing the government as far from the brink of collapse and the current protests as insufficient to push it to that point.
• Iran Backpedals on Executions Threat but Casts Protesters As ‘Terrorists’ - Iran’s judiciary said there was no death penalty issued for Erfan Soltani, whose case drew international outcry. Analysts say the government is using fear and intimidation to keep people off the streets.
• A Timeline of Protests in Iran - Amid a near-total communications blackout, witness footage trickling out of Iran paints a picture of how the country’s largest uprising in decades spread — and turned deadly.
• Iran’s Leaders May Survive Protests. But Anger Will Likely Persist. - Its security forces have brutally defended the Islamic Republic, but the protests show that many Iranians consider it stagnant and ideologically hollow.
• Trump Explores Diplomacy With Iran While Weighing Strikes, Officials Say - The Pentagon is presenting a wider range of strike options to the president than previously reported. Targets could include Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile sites.
• Deposed Shah’s Son Hopes Trump Will Put Iran Regime ‘Down for Good’ - Reza Pahlavi, once the crown prince of Iran, says protesters there have been emboldened by President Trump suggesting that he could take military action.
• Iran’s President Warns Protesters Not to Destabilize the Country - Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for protesters’ economic pain, but said the state must respond to “rioters.”
• Iran’s President Warns Protesters Not to Destabilize the Country - Masoud Pezeshkian expressed sympathy for protesters’ economic pain, but said the state must respond to “rioters.” The death toll from the protests rose to about 200, rights groups said.
• Death Toll Grows as Nationwide Protests Rock Iran for a Third Night - Antigovernment unrest that began two weeks ago has intensified in recent days, as has violence.
• Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue - The president has said he will be “hitting them very hard” if Iranian leaders kill protesters amid widespread demonstrations calling for wholesale changes in the country.