Iran’s chief justice has warned protesters there will be “no leniency for those who help the enemy against the Islamic Republic”, as rights groups reported a rising death toll during what observers describe as the country’s biggest wave of unrest in three years.
Kurdish-Iranian rights group Hengaw said at least 27 people have been killed and more than 1,500 arrested in the first 10 days of protests, while the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) put the death toll at at least 36 and said more than 2,000 people had been detained.
Iranian authorities have not issued an official death toll for protesters but have said at least two members of the security forces were killed and more than a dozen injured.
Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the figures.
Protests continued into another day across Iran, with crowds returning to the streets despite mounting pressure from the authorities. By scale and geographic spread, the unrest has entered its most significant phase so far.
Demonstrations have been reported across multiple cities and provinces, including Tehran and several regional centres, indicating a widening geographic reach. Unlike previous days, protests were visible during daylight hours as well, suggesting a shift in momentum.
Crowds have grown larger and more tightly packed, with demonstrations moving beyond residential areas into economic and public spaces. Participants were heard chanting anti-government slogans, including calls directed at Iran’s leadership and demands for political change.
Security forces were reported to have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, while some reports also cited the use of rubber bullets and live ammunition. The deployment of additional security units has also been reported, though these claims have not been independently verified.
Iran’s chief justice, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, accused Israel and the U.S. of using what he described as hybrid methods to destabilise the country, warning that anyone “helping the enemy” would face a crackdown.
Tehran is under heightened international pressure, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that Washington would come to the aid of protesters if security forces fired on them, seven months after Israeli and U.S. forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has vowed not to “yield to the enemy”.
The current protests began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where shopkeepers protested against the sharp fall in the national currency. The unrest has since spread nationwide amid deepening economic hardship, including soaring inflation driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions, as well as restrictions on political and social freedoms.
According to Iran International, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have begun recruiting and deploying fighters to assist Iranian security forces in suppressing the protests. The outlet said several hundred fighters linked to Iraqi Shiite armed groups had been mobilised. Iranian authorities have not commented on the report.
Human rights organisations have raised concerns over rising numbers of casualties and detentions, as well as allegations that wounded protesters have been detained in medical facilities.
Iran’s western provinces, which are economically marginalised and heavily policed due to their strategic importance, have seen the most violent protests in recent days, according to rights monitors.
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The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
Three Armenian citizens have been charged following an alleged attempt to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St Anna Cathedral in Yerevan on 29 March. Analysts say the incident reflects rising tensions between the government and the Church ahead of upcoming elections.
HHungary’s foreign minister has been drawn into controversy after an audio recording, released by an investigative outlet, appeared to show him discussing EU sanctions with his Russian counterpart days before an election that could shape Budapest’s relationship with Moscow, Reuters reports.
China and Kenya have agreed to revive a long-delayed railway project, signalling renewed momentum in infrastructure cooperation and a shift towards more sustainable financing models across Africa.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says around 25 kilometres of the TAPI gas pipeline have been laid in Herat province, as work continues on one of the region’s largest energy projects.
Three Armenian citizens have been charged following an alleged attempt to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St Anna Cathedral in Yerevan on 29 March. Analysts say the incident reflects rising tensions between the government and the Church ahead of upcoming elections.
A man previously convicted of spying on Türkiye has been arrested by Turkish and Syrian authorities after more than a decade on the run, Turkish security sources said on Monday.
Uzbekistan is hosting the fifth-anniversary Space Technology Conference - Central Eurasia (STC 2026), bringing together more than 400 delegates, 24 sponsors and representatives from 32 countries to discuss the region’s space industry and expand international cooperation.
Kazakhstan remains among the least dependent countries in Central Asia on Chinese capital, maintaining a diversified external debt structure and greater financial flexibility than its regional peers.
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