A senior Iranian official says at least 5,000 people have died in the protests rocking the country. Among those killed are said to be some 500 members of the security forces.
The official, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters on Sunday that "terrorists and armed rioters" were responsible for killing "innocent Iranians".
He said some of the heaviest clashes and highest death tolls occurred in Kurdish areas in northwest Iran, where separatist groups have been active.
"The final toll is not expected to increase sharply," the official said, adding that "Israel and armed groups abroad" had supported and equipped those involved in the protests.
Iranian authorities have not published an official nationwide death toll. Rights groups have reported significantly lower figures.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Saturday it had verified 3,090 deaths, including 2,885 protesters.
HRANA later said the toll had risen to 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under review, and confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.
The protests erupted on 28 December over economic hardship before spreading nationwide and evolving into calls for an end to clerical rule in the Islamic Republic. Demonstrations were reported in dozens of cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Tabriz, before a sweeping security crackdown followed.
Residents said the crackdown appeared to have largely quelled protests. Several people in Tehran told Reuters the capital had been comparatively quiet for four days, although drones were seen flying overhead. There were no signs of major demonstrations on Thursday or Friday.
A resident in a northern city on the Caspian Sea also described calm streets. Those contacted asked not to be identified for safety reasons.
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said there had been a "very slight rise" in connectivity after around 200 hours of shutdown, though access remained at roughly 2% of normal levels.
Iran has repeatedly restricted internet access during periods of unrest, but analysts say the scale and duration of the latest blackout are among the most severe in recent years, severely limiting the flow of information and protesters’ ability to organise.
Some Iranians living overseas said on social media they had briefly been able to contact people inside the country early on Saturday, before connectivity dropped again.
The Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw, based in Norway, said some of the deadliest clashes during the unrest took place in Kurdish regions in the northwest.
Iran’s prosecutor general has said detainees would face severe punishment, describing them as people who "aided rioters and terrorists attacking security forces and public property".
"All perpetrators are mohareb," state media quoted Mohammad Movahedi Azad as saying, using an Islamic legal term meaning to wage war against God, which is punishable by death under Iranian law.
In comments reported by Iranian state media on Saturday, Khamenei said Iran would not be dragged into war but would punish what he described as domestic and international "criminals".
"We consider the U.S. president criminal for the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation," he said.
Trump, who has repeatedly warned of "very strong action" if Iran executed protesters, said on social media that Iranian leaders had cancelled more than 800 planned executions.
He did not provide evidence for the claim, and Iranian authorities said there was "no plan to hang people".
The United Nations has urged Iran to respect the right to peaceful protest and restore full internet access amid international concern over the scale of the crackdown.
Reuters has not been able to independently verify casualty figures or details of the disturbances reported by Iranian officials and rights groups.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior ...
Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov has been shortlisted for the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament award at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with his strike agai...
Firefighters battled on Sunday to contain wildfires threatening the outskirts of Bordeaux, as authorities expanded evacuation orders and warned the bl...
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
The U.S. military said it completed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, marking the 13th consecutive night of American attacks. The latest operation lasted more than two hours, according to U.S. Central Command.
Six candidates vying to become the next United Nations Secretary-General have called for restoring the organisation's credibility, strengthening multilateralism and reforming the UN, during the first public town hall debate ahead of a decisive Security Council vote next week.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 25th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recently offered the dismissed Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Federov an adviser role in Italy.
A new state agency wants the world to take Georgian food as seriously as Georgians already do.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed regional and commercial agreements worth more than 80 billion tenge ($146 million). The deals aim to expand cooperation between the two Central Asian neighbors in trade, transport, industry and cross-border development.
UN Secretary General António Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday for the first trip to Syria by a serving United Nations' chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
More than 100 Afghan business representatives travelled to Uzbekistan this week for a business forum aimed at expanding trade and investment, as Uzbek investors also expressed interest in Afghanistan’s mining sector.
Kazakhstan's grain sector faces a difficult season as drought reduces harvest prospects while mounting security risks in the Black Sea threaten to redirect cheaper Russian grain into Central Asian markets.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment