Iran protests have turned bloody as authorities have intensified the crackdown on the mass anti-government protests. The protest, which began on December 28 amid mounting currency and inflation crises, rapidly evolved into nationwide demonstrations against Ali Khamenei’s Iranian regime, with protests reported in nearly 200 cities across the country.
Late last week, the government imposed a near-total internet shutdown and deployed security forces across protest hotspots. With Iran largely cut off from the outside world, verifying the scale of the violence and killings has proven difficult for foreign journalists, activists, and human-rights organizations.
Reports, videos, and official acknowledgments about the unprecedented death toll have emerged promting a President Donald Trump to publicly say that the US is considering military action against Tehran.
Iran Protests: Conflicting Death Toll Estimates Emerge
Despite the communications blackout, disturbing videos, eyewitness accounts, and reports have continued to surface, pointing to a massive loss of life. While no independently verifiable death toll exists, even the lowest estimates are extraordinary by Iran’s historical standards.
Iran Death Toll According To Reuters: Reuters reported on Tuesday that Iranian government officials acknowledged approximately 2,000 deaths, including both civilians and members of the security forces.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed the deaths of at least 2,403 protesters in the 17 days since demonstrations began.
Iran Death Toll According To Reuters New York Times: The New York Times reported Tuesday that, according to senior Iranian government officials, the death toll had reached at least 3,000, though independent verification remains impossible under current conditions. The New York Times cited mounting difficulties faced by human-rights groups attempting to verify casualties.
A senior Iranian health ministry official, speaking anonymously, told the newspaper that around 3,000 people had been killed nationwide, attributing the violence to “terrorists” allegedly stoking unrest. The official said the figure included hundreds of security personnel.
Iran Death Toll According To CBS: CBS News reported Tuesday that two sources suggested the death toll could be dramatically higher, though these figures remain unverified.
According to one source quoted by CBS inside Iran who was able to make contact, activist groups compiling nationwide data based on reports from medical officials believed at least 12,000 people had been killed, with the number possibly reaching 20,000.
The same source claimed that security forces were visiting private hospitals across Tehran, threatening medical staff to hand over the names and addresses of those receiving treatment for protest-related injuries.
Videos And Morgue Footage From Iran Protests Suggest Mass Casualties, High Death Toll
Graphic videos emerging from Iran appear to support claims of mass bloodshed. One particularly harrowing video, reportedly filmed at a morgue in Kazhirak, just outside Tehran, shows hundreds of bodies laid out on the ground.
There have also been reports of similar scenes in other cities, along with accounts of hospitals overwhelmed by the volume of casualties.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
