Condemning the Iranian Government Crackdown on Protestors

January 12, 2026 – Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement in response to reports of the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on protests across the country: 


“The Iranian people deserve freedom and the right to protest without repression or reprisal. The indications that widespread demonstrations by brave Iranians are being met with a brutal, deadly crackdown by the Iranian government are horrific. This violence should be unequivocally condemned.

It is uncertain where these historic protests will lead, but one thing must be made clear: The Iranian people should determine their future for themselves.

It is important for other countries and multilateral bodies to vocally stand for the right of Iranians to protest. It is also critical that no country attempts to intervene inside Iran in a manner that could further endanger or undermine the protestors.

Reports that the United States and Israel may be considering military strikes in Iran are deeply concerning. It is difficult to know what the impact of such attacks would be on the plight of the Iranian protestors, and even less clear what the follow-on consequences would be for the Iranian people and security in the region. Israeli and US strikes against Iranian government targets last year were broadly opposed by Iran’s people and diaspora across almost the entire political spectrum.

What is clear is that President Trump does not now have Congress’ authorization for the use of military force in Iran. Any U.S. strikes would be illegal under both U.S. and international law. The administration should instead focus its efforts on working multilaterally to press Iran’s government to end the killing and other abuse of their own citizens.

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