Iran’s IRGC vow stronger response than last time if new protests erupt

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns that any new protests against the authorities will be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

“The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots,” the Guards say in a statement broadcast on TV, promising “a stronger blow than on January 8” in the event of new unrest

The government in January brutally cracked down on anti-government protests — deemed by authorities as “riots” — over economic grievances in the sanctions-hit country.

Iranian authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths in the unrest, including members of the security forces and bystanders. The  US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, however, has recorded more than 7,000 killings in the crackdown, the vast majority protesters, though the toll may be far higher.