The estimated death toll from antigovernment protests in Iran has soared past 2,000 people, according to information collected by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Najm Yousefi, an associate professor of Middle Eastern history at Chico State, said the violent government crackdown shows just how much the current regime views the unrest as a threat.
“It could be the beginning of an end,” Yousefi said Tuesday. “It’s really hard to tell given what we know at this time with meager information getting from Iran.”
“U.S. intervention can, in so many ways, undermine the protests by showing foreign support for protesters who otherwise have very legitimate grievances.”- Najm Yousefi, associate professor of Middle Eastern history at Chico State
Iranian authorities have imposed an internet blackout in the country. Elon Musk opened his Starlink service to the country for free on Tuesday, CNN reports, though Iran reportedly has the ability to jam the satellite-based service.
Why did the protests start in Iran?
The antigovernment protests started in late December following a collapse of Iran's currency and an already high inflation rate. That’s made buying food and other essentials “unbearable,” Yousefi said.
But that was just the spark.
The professor said Iran’s problems stem from a “combination of economic hardship as a result of decades long U.S. sanctions, endemic corruption, mismanagement and incompetence."
What would military strikes mean in Iran?
In a social media post Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested strikes on Iran were imminent, telling protesters against the Iranian regime that “help is on its way.”
What U.S. intervention could mean for the protesters and the Middle East could depend on a number of factors, including the severity of the strikes, Yousefi said.
He also said military action might go against the protesters’ goals in Iran.
“U.S. intervention can, in so many ways, undermine the protests by showing foreign support for protesters who otherwise have very legitimate grievances,” he said.
Intervention could also expose protesters to more severe and violent crackdowns by the current regime.
“Then, not least is the threat of a civil war in Iran, something like Syria,” he said. “And that would be quite appalling, and that would be opening a Pandora's box.”
“There's little doubt that the U.S. is exploiting the situation, because democracy and human rights are way low on the list of priorities, and oil and Israel are way up on that list.”- Najm Yousefi, associate professor of Middle Eastern history at Chico State
Why does Iran matter to the US?
There are also questions about U.S. interests in the region. Iran sits on massive oil reserves. The U.S. is also closely aligned with Israel, an enemy of Iran. In 2025, the 12-day Iran-Israel war included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear facilities.
“There's little doubt that the U.S. is exploiting the situation,” Yousefi said, “because democracy and human rights are way low on the list of priorities, and oil and Israel are way up on that list.”
