TL:DR – Iranian chess grandmaster Mitra Hejazipour urges international aid against protests crackdown on Monday
• Iranian chess grandmaster Mitra Hejazipour has urged international powers to intervene against the Iranian government’s crackdown on protesters, stating over 30,000 were killed, on Monday.
• Hejazipour accused the regime of “brutal repression,” mentioning military weapons used on demonstrators.
• She advocates for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as a leader for a democratic transition in Iran.
• Hejazipour considers negotiations with Tehran a “dead-end situation” and believes military intervention is supported by many Iranians.
• Human rights groups reported casualties between 6,000 and 30,000 during the protests starting on 28 December 2025.
Tehran ‘will continue to massacre people’ if not stopped, Iranian chess grandmaster tells Euronews
Iranian Chess Grandmaster Urges International Action Against Crackdown on Protesters
Iranian chess grandmaster living in exile Mitra Hejazipour has called on international powers to intervene and help end the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on protesters, as casualty figures continue to rise. Hejazipour made her statements during an interview on Euronews’ morning show Europe Today on Monday, highlighting the gravity of the situation following the protests that began in late December due to economic collapse.
Hejazipour described the protests as a “bloody massacre that killed more than 30,000 Iranians,” attributing the violence to the Tehran regime’s “brutal repression” and detailing the use of military weapons against demonstrators, including “snipers from rooftops.” The grandmaster has been an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic since her expulsion from Iran’s national team in 2020 for removing her headscarf during a competition in Moscow.
Mitra Hejazipour Criticises Negotiations with Tehran
Mitra Hejazipour believes that democracy cannot be achieved in Iran with the current regime’s consent and describes negotiations with Tehran’s leadership as a “dead-end situation.” She expressed that “a majority of Iranians support a military intervention” to overthrow the government, warning that the regime will “continue to massacre the people” without such action.
Hejazipour pointed out that she has not observed sufficient support from European countries regarding the situation. The protests have escalated since their inception on 28 December 2025, driven by a currency collapse and persistent hyperinflation; they quickly transformed into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations, resulting in a violent crackdown and a complete information blockade.
US Military Presence and International Response
While protests in Iran have led to an alarming death toll, US President Donald Trump has urged Iranians to persist in their demands for change, asserting that “help is on the way.” However, he has refrained from military intervention following resumed US-Iran talks, amid reports suggesting Tehran had pledged to halt the crackdown.
In the meantime, the United States has positioned its aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, along with naval and air forces in the Middle East, as a strategy to apply pressure on Tehran and maintain readiness for military action if required.
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