Khamenei shelves executions but imports Shia militias from Iraq to shoot protesters

TEHRAN, Jan 15: In a far darker story unfolding in Iran, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has imported Shia militias from Iraq to suppress an unrest triggered by price rise and economic hardships now metamorphed into nationwide violence demanding end to Islamic rule, after his soldiers refused to shoot their own countrymen, eyewitness accounts and Opposition sources indicate.

On the other hand, Iran has assured Washington that protesters will not face execution, a pledge that reportedly influenced President Donald Trump to hold back from launching military action.

Going further, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Thursday that Tehran halted all scheduled executions on Wednesday, a move seen as a gesture to ease tensions with the United States.

The situation remains volatile in the midst of both concessions and a Russian style repression deploying foreign mercenaries.

The protests, which began late last month over soaring prices and inflation, have since evolved into a nationwide movement against Islamic rule, spreading rapidly across cities and towns.

Casualty figures remain contested, but estimates suggest that between 1,200 and 12,000 protesters have already lost their lives in the crackdown. The scale of violence underscores the regime’s determination to crush dissent—they need to—even as international pressure mounts.

Human rights groups have condemned the use of foreign militias against civilians, warning that the situation risks spiraling into a humanitarian disaster.

The United States, meanwhile, has repositioned its forces in the region. Troops that had been on alert for possible strikes against Iran have returned to bases in Qatar, signaling a temporary de-escalation. Analysts caution, however, that Washington’s restraint may be short-lived if Tehran fails to honour its commitments or if violence against protesters intensifies further.

For ordinary Iranians, the crisis has become a struggle for survival. What began as demonstrations over economic hardship has transformed into a broader challenge to clerical authority, fueled by anger at corruption, mismanagement, and the heavy hand of religious rule. The Government’s reliance on imported militias reflects both the depth of domestic discontent and the regime’s fear of losing control over its own security forces.

As night falls across Iran, the future remains uncertain. The halt in executions offers a pretence of hope, but the bloodshed in the streets paints a grim picture of a nation at war with itself.

The protesters continue to demand an end to clerical rule, leaving the regime in a desperate fight for survival that neither side seems ready to abandon. No end to the Iranian imbroglio!