Iran Signals Fast Trials, Executions   01/14 06:10

   

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The head of Iran's judiciary signaled 
Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in 
nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.

   The comments from Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as 
activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a 
bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 
2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure 
dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in 
decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

   Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action 
over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian 
nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic 
Republic in June.

   Meanwhile Wednesday, Iran held a mass funeral of 300 security force members 
killed in the demonstrations. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding 
Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The caskets, covered in 
Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and 
framed photographs of people who were killed covered them.

   People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plainclothes security 
forces still milled around some neighborhoods, though anti-riot police and 
members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force 
appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

   "We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests," 
said one mother of two children shopping for fruits and vegetables Wednesday, 
who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. "We have heard many 
are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored but schools are 
closed and I'm scared to send my children to school again."

   Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one 
demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

   "People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned 
into a war zone," Tavakoli said. "The people do not have guns. Only the 
security forces have guns."

   'We have to do it quickly'

   Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television 
online.

   "If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we 
have to do it quickly," he said. "If it becomes late, two months, three months 
later, it doesn't have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to 
do that fast."

   His comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about 
executions an interview with CBS aired Tuesday.

   "We will take very strong action," Trump said. "If they do such a thing, we 
will take very strong action."

   "We don't want to see what's happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they 
want to have protests, that's one thing, when they start killing thousands of 
people, and now you're telling me about hanging -- we'll see how that works out 
for them. It's not going to work out good."

   One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Mideast governments had been 
discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war now with Iran, 
fearing "unprecedented consequences" for the region that could explode into a 
"full-blown war." The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he 
wasn't authorized to speak to journalists.

   Meanwhile, activists said Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service 
in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around an 
internet shutdown launched by the theocracy on Jan. 8. Iran began allowing 
people to call out internationally on Tuesday via their mobile phones, but 
calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

   "We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully 
functional," said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped 
get the units into Iran. "We tested it using a newly activated Starlink 
terminal inside Iran."

   Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

   Security service personnel also apparently were searching for Starlink 
dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment 
buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, 
many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on 
enforcing the law in recent years.

   Death toll continues to rise

   The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,403 of the dead were 
protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, 
along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 
18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

   Gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult, and the AP 
has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being 
disrupted in the country.