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Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/02/16/iran-trump-nuclear-talks-protests-anger/
Popular Anger Burns in Iran after Crackdown
(Washington Post) Susannah George - Seething popular anger in Iran has not abated in the weeks following a government crackdown that killed thousands of protesters, according to accounts from inside the country. Iranians described to the Washington Post a society deeply traumatized, with many people saying they only recently learned the full extent of the violence, as security forces continue to carry out waves of arrests. "Some of us don't work because we are still grieving, but some of us cannot work because there are no reliable prices," said a Tehran shopkeeper, 40. Inflation has skyrocketed since the crackdown, and with the added threat of U.S. strikes, no one wants to spend any money, he said. A woman who participated in the protests said she saw security forces open fire into the crowds. "Seeing the mass killing all over the country felt like waking up from a deep sleep with a slap on my face. I am so ashamed to be alive. I am also full of rage," she said. "The real enemy is the Islamic Republic and any country or army that can weaken or attack them is going to liberate us." Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the Iranian government "didn't mind the optics. In fact, they wanted to show how ruthless they were. Right now they want society to be scared. They don't care about the reputational cost. It's about survival."