A human rights agency said at least 2,571 had died in the protests sweeping through Iran, while more than 18,100 people are reported to have been detained ahead of the first execution scheduled for Wednesday
The number of deaths from anti-government protests in Iran has climbed again, as United States President Donald Trump cancelled talks with officials from the Middle Eastern country amid the brutal response to protesters.
Protests erupted on the streets of Iran in December of the country’s struggling economy and soon turned focus to oust the Mullah regime that has ruled with an iron fist since 1979.
Images from global media outlets show capital Tehran painted with graffiti and chants calling for 86-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ‘s death.
Protesters have turned out even as armed forces met them with guns. Outlets have also reported that videos showed body bags lined up at morgues in Tehran.
The death toll from the nationwide protests climbed to at least 2,571 early on Wednesday, January 14, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. The group said 2,403 were protesters while 147 were government-affiliated. More than 18,100 people are reported to have been detained.
The death toll figure exceeds that of any other unrest in the country since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Skylar Thompson of the agency told the Associated Press that the new toll was shocking, especially since it reached four times the death toll of the months-long 2022 Mahsa Amini protests over just two weeks. “We’re horrified, but we still think the number is conservative,” she said, warning that figures could rise.
Iranian state TV, in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths, quoted a an official saying the country had “a lot of martyrs”, AP reported
Trump has encouraged Iranians to keep the action going. He wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, January 13: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!”
“I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” he added.
Hours later Trump told reporters that his administration was awaiting an accurate report on the number of protesters that had been killed before acting “accordingly”.
In an interview aired on Tuesday, Trump told CBS news anchor Tony Dokoupil that “very strong action” will be taken if Iran carries out the execution of protesters. The first execution is planned for Wednesday.
Erfan Soltani, a father and clothes shop owner is scheduled to be the first person executed in Iran’s brutal response. He was arrested at his home after allegedly taking part in the anti-government protests last week. The 26-year-old was given just 10 minutes with his family, The Mirror previously reported.
Iranian officials have warned Trump against taking action. It has said that the US would be a “legitimate target” should strikes go ahead.
