Death toll in crackdown on protests in Iran spikes to at least 538, activists say
Regional stability hinges on credible deterrence and strategic partnerships with key allies.
Mainstream coverage treats Iran’s bloodshed as a distant human-rights statistic, paired with the familiar assumption that more statements from Western capitals are the main answer. The numbers are horrific, but the framing skips the harder question: what has kept Tehran confident it can kill and jail its way out of accountability. A conservative view starts with **national security** and **public trust**.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Activists say the death toll in the crackdown on two weeks of nationwide protests in Iran has spiked to at least 538 people. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Sunday also said over 10,600 people have been detained.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Mainstream coverage treats Iran’s bloodshed as a distant human-rights statistic, paired with the familiar assumption that more statements from Western capitals are the main answer. The numbers are horrific, but the framing skips the harder question: what has kept Tehran confident it can kill and jail its way out of accountability.
A conservative view starts with national security and public trust. A regime that massacres protesters at home will not hesitate to threaten Americans and allies abroad. That is why sanctions enforcement matters more than symbolic outrage, and why loopholes that feed Iran’s cash flow are not “diplomacy,” they are leverage surrendered.
The principle is simple: rule of law has to mean something in foreign policy, too. If we want fewer graves and fewer hostages, the U.S. should act like Iranian impunity is a strategic problem, not just a tragic headline.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.