A US-based rights organisation reported on Monday that nearly 6,000 people have been confirmed dead during a wave of protests in Iran, which were violently suppressed by security forces.
The announcement comes as Tehran warned Washington against any form of intervention.
The protests began in late December 2025, initially sparked by economic grievances. By January 8, they had escalated into mass demonstrations against the Islamic republic, drawing tens of thousands into the streets.
Rights groups accused Iranian authorities of launching an unprecedented crackdown, with security forces allegedly shooting directly at protesters.
The violence unfolded under the cover of an 18-day internet shutdown, which monitors say has obscured the true scale of the crackdown.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) confirmed 5,848 deaths, including 209 security personnel, while investigating another 17,091 possible fatalities. The group also reported at least 41,283 arrests.
Iranian authorities last week gave their first official toll, claiming 3,117 deaths, most of whom they described as security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
US-Iran Tensions Rise
US President Donald Trump initially appeared reluctant to pursue military intervention but has since said it remains an option.
“We’re sending a massive fleet to the region just in case,” Trump stated last week, while adding, “I’d rather not see anything happen but we’re watching them very closely.”
Iran’s foreign ministry responded with a warning of a “comprehensive and regret-inducing response to any aggression.”
JolibaLive had earlier reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has been deployed to the region.
Persian-language TV channel Iran International, based outside Iran, claimed over 36,500 Iranians were killed between January 8 and 9, citing documents and sources. The figure has not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, internet monitor Netblocks confirmed the blackout remains in place, saying it is “obscuring the extent of a deadly crackdown on civilians.”
Regional Fallout
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last appeared publicly on January 17, vowing to “break the back of the seditionists.”
In Lebanon, Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah organised rallies in support of Tehran, with leader Naim Qassem expected to speak against what they called “American-Zionist sabotage and threats.”
Anti-US sentiment also surfaced in Tehran, where a new billboard in Enghelab Square depicted an American aircraft carrier being destroyed, alongside the slogan: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
Will the mounting death toll and rising US-Iran tensions push the crisis toward international intervention, or do you think Tehran’s crackdown will ultimately prevail and silence dissent against the Ayatollah regime?
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