Newsletters
Security forces have killed at least 538 people during two weeks of nationwide protests in Iran, according to human rights monitors, while Iranian authorities have released no official death toll and maintained an internet blackout that activists say obscures the true scale of casualties.
The US-based Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency reported Sunday that 490 protesters and 48 security personnel have died since demonstrations began Dec. 28, 2025, with more than 10,600 people detained. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group separately confirmed at least 192 protester deaths but warned the actual toll could reach several hundred or even exceed 2,000.
The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the death tolls. Iranian officials have not released official casualty figures.
Video authenticated by AFP showed dozens of bodies wrapped in black bags outside a morgue in Kahrizak, south of Tehran, with apparent relatives searching for loved ones. Rights groups identified the victims as protesters killed during the government crackdown.
Iran Human Rights called the footage evidence of "mass killing" and a "major international crime against the people of Iran," while the Hengaw group verified images showing "dozens of bloodied bodies both inside and outside the Kahrizak morgue."
The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran reported hospitals were "overwhelmed" with blood supplies running low, and said many protesters had been shot in the eyes in what it described as a deliberate tactic.
The protests initially erupted over the Iranian rial's sharp depreciation and rising living costs when shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar began demonstrating. The movement has since expanded into a challenge against Iran's theocratic system established in the 1979 revolution, presenting one of the most significant threats to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's rule.
The demonstrations follow Israel's 12-day military campaign against Iran in June, which received US backing. Some protesters have chanted "long live the shah," referencing the monarchy overthrown in 1979, while US-based Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah, has called for continued protests and told Fox News he was "already planning" to return and lead a democratic transition.
President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of "trying to escalate this unrest" and bringing "terrorists from abroad into the country" in an interview broadcast Sunday by state television IRIB.
"The people should not allow rioters to disrupt society," Pezeshkian said. "The people should believe that we want to establish justice."
Iran's internet shutdown has exceeded 60 hours according to monitor Netblocks, severely limiting information flow and normal communication through messaging applications and phone lines. An AFP journalist in Tehran described a city in near paralysis, with meat prices nearly doubled and most shops closing by late afternoon when security forces deploy.
Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei warned authorities would deal "decisively" with arrested protesters, while national police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan reported "significant" arrests Saturday night. Iran Human Rights estimates more than 2,600 protesters have been detained since demonstrations began.
State television has broadcast images of burning buildings including a mosque and funeral processions for security personnel killed during the unrest.
US President Donald Trump voiced support for the protests and threatened military action against Iranian authorities "if they start killing people." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he hoped Iran would be freed from what he called the "yoke of tyranny."
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded that Iran would strike back against any US military action. "In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory and centers of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets," he said, apparently referring to Israel, which Iran does not recognize.
Solidarity demonstrations occurred across multiple countries including France, Britain and Austria, with several thousand gathering in London alone. Fahimeh Moradi, 52, told AFP in the UK that she had no information about family members in Iran. "My son is there, and I don't know if he's alive or not," she said, reflecting concerns among Iranians abroad unable to reach relatives during the internet shutdown.
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
