WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States has indicated that another round of sanctions is around the corner against the Iranian Government's violent crackdown on protests that emerged after an abrupt increase in fuel prices across the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Twitter Thursday that he has asked the Iranian protesters to send to the State Department their videos, photos, and information documenting the regime's crackdown on protesters. 'The U.S. will expose and sanction the abuses,' he tweeted.
Iranian authorities have ordered the near-total shutdown of the Internet. Occasional video footage of protests posted on social media amid the Internet shutdown appear to show security forces directly shooting at protesters in different cities.
Human rights organizations estimate that more than 100 protesters were killed as top officials give green light to crush protests.
Amnesty International alleged that Iranian security forces have used excessive and lethal force to crush largely peaceful protests in more than 100 cities across Iran sparked by a hike in fuel prices on November 15.
A day after the protests began, the authorities implemented a near-total shutdown of the Internet, shutting off nearly all means of online communications for people inside Iran.
The resulting information blackout is a deliberate attempt by the authorities to prevent people from sharing images and videos of the deadly force being used by security forces, according to Amnesty.
The London-based organization appealed to the international community to take immediate action to hold the Iranian authorities accountable for carrying out unlawful killings and violently repressing the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
President Donald Trump responded to the communication black out in the Islamic country.
'Iran has become so unstable that the regime has shut down their entire Internet System so that the Great Iranian people cannot talk about the tremendous violence taking place within the country,' he said on Twitter.
State media have reported only a handful of protester deaths, as well as the deaths of at least four members of the security forces.
Top government officials including Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have issued statements describing protesters as 'villains' and giving security forces a green light to crush demonstrations.
More than 1,000 protesters, including human rights defender Sepideh Gholian, have been arrested since the protests began.
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