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'My gut feeling is...': Shashi Tharoor on massive uprising in Iran
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor noted possible easing tensions in Iran, citing reports of cancelled executions.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday said recent signals from Iran suggested a possible easing of tensions, while cautioning that assessments were constrained by a lack of reliable information from the country amid an extended communications blackout.
Tharoor pointed to reports that Iranian authorities had cancelled executions of more than 800 detainees previously announced, and to US President Donald Trump saying he was holding off on military strikes “for the moment”.
“In some ways, it’s a hopeful sign that we may see a dialling down of tension,” Tharoor said, adding that Gulf countries were also likely anxious about the geopolitical consequences of a wider escalation. “My gut feeling at the moment is we may have turned a corner. But we are not recipients of 100 per cent accurate information,” he cautioned.
The remarks come as the pace of anti-government protests in Iran appears to have slowed, with few fresh visuals emerging from the country, which has been under a near-total internet blackout for days.
Protests that began in late December last year and drew international scrutiny over the severity of the state response have reportedly killed thousands.
Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights says it has verified at least 3,428 protester deaths, warning the actual toll could be far higher due to restrictions on independent verification. Other estimates range from over 5,000 to as high as 20,000. The Associated Press has separately reported that at least 3,090 people have been killed, citing activists.
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Despite the apparent lull, uncertainty persists. Iran's exiled prince Reza Pahlavi has called for renewed, coordinated demonstrations against the theocratic establishment led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International pressure has fluctuated alongside the unrest. Trump has publicly thanked Iran’s leaders for not carrying out mass executions, describing the move as significant, even as senior hardline cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of detained protesters and issued threats against the US president during a sermon broadcast on state radio.
NetBlocks has said Iran’s “total internet blackout” has exceeded 180 hours, longer than similar shutdowns during the 2019 protests. While some restrictions on international phone calls have eased, access to the global internet and text messaging remains largely blocked.
Gaza remains tense despite ceasefire, Tharoor says
Tharoor also addressed the situation in Gaza, saying that while a second phase of a peace process had formally begun, the ground reality remained grim. “Unfortunately, there are still continuing attacks, so people are still dying in Gaza every day. It’s not peaceful for everyone yet,” he said, adding that there was still no clear information on progress towards the disarmament of Hamas.
“It is by no means a normal, tranquil, peacetime situation yet. But let’s hope we get there, because the people of Gaza have suffered enough.”
Gaza has been under a fragile ceasefire since October, even as Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations. During the truce, more than 450 Palestinians, including over 100 children, and three Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed.
In a significant political development, the White House has announced members of a so-called “Board of Peace” to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance during a transitional period. The board is chaired by Trump and includes US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, among others. Notably, no Palestinians have been named to the founding executive board so far.
Under the plan unveiled in October, Israel and Hamas signed off on the creation of a Palestinian technocratic body to run Gaza, overseen by the international board. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November authorised the arrangement and the establishment of an International Stabilisation Force.
The move has drawn criticism from rights experts, who argue that an external board supervising a foreign territory resembles a colonial structure. Blair’s inclusion has also been criticised due to his role in the Iraq war and the legacy of British imperialism in the region.
Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed tens of thousands, triggered a severe hunger crisis and displaced the enclave’s entire population. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry have said the campaign amounts to genocide, a charge Israel rejects, saying it acted in self-defence after Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late-2023 attack.
(With inputs from AP, AFP and ANI)
