Iran's anti-government protests appear to be easing for now as authorities continue their hard-line crackdown.
According to Al Jazeera on the 15th (local time), anti-government demonstrations in the capital, Tehran, have been declining since the 12th, when hundreds of thousands joined a pro-government counterrally.
Al Jazeera said only sporadic protests were taking place in some small cities, and assessed that "the situation has calmed to some extent" as, in addition to the Basij paramilitary force, army special forces were deployed to suppress the protests.
However, Al Jazeera noted that while many citizens began to back away as protests that started in anger over the economic downturn turned bloody, "public discontent with the economic crisis remains."
RIA Novosti, citing a senior Iranian police source, also reported, "Cities are quiet now and there are no protests," adding, "There is a possibility of large rallies later, but rioting and vandalism have stopped." The previous day, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a Fox News interview in the United States, "We have the situation completely under control," claiming it is "calm."
Iranian authorities have maintained that terrorists instigated by external forces infiltrated the protesters and continued a bloody crackdown that included live fire. Since the 8th, the internet and communications have been completely cut off across Iran, and afterward the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's elite force, was reportedly deployed to some areas. Foreign dissident groups such as Iran Human Rights (IHR) assessed that deaths were concentrated from the 8th to the 12th.
Iranian authorities, who had vowed to severely punish detained protesters, stepped back by saying they would not carry out hangings. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had hinted at military intervention for days, said the previous day, "I heard the killings (of protesters) in Iran have stopped," calling it "very good news."
Reuters reported that the alert level at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the U.S. military's largest hub in the Middle East, was downgraded. Iran's aviation authority closed its airspace early that morning, halting all flights, before resuming operations at about 7 a.m.