Iran: 2000 people killed amidst protests; official pins blame on 'terrorists', report says

At least 2,000 people have died since unrest ensued in Iran, as per the account of an official cited by Reuters, who blamed the staggering death toll on 'terrorists'.

The official, not named by Reuters, added that the casualties included security personnel.

The sharp escalation follows earlier reports from activists monitoring the protests.


ET had reported earlier on Tuesday that the death toll had climbed to at least 646, based on accounts compiled by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, whose figures were cited by the Associated Press.

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That tally, activists stressed, was likely incomplete due to sweeping restrictions on communications across the country.

According to the Associated Press, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said 512 of those killed were protesters, while 134 were members of Iran’s security forces.

The group relies on a network of activists inside Iran who cross-check names, locations and circumstances of deaths. With the internet largely shut down and phone lines cut, the AP said it has been unable to independently verify the figures, while Iranian authorities have not released comprehensive casualty data related to the demonstrations.

The protests, which erupted roughly two weeks ago, were triggered by public anger over economic hardship and broader grievances against Iran’s ruling establishment. As the unrest spread, authorities imposed a near-total digital blackout, making it increasingly difficult to assess the scale of the violence.

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Witnesses speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity described cities falling silent after nightfall, with intensified security patrols and warnings issued to families to keep children and teenagers away from demonstrations. In some cases, authorities sent mass text messages threatening decisive action against those labelled as “rioters,” the AP reported.

Videos circulating online and reviewed by the Associated Press appeared to show rows of bodies at what activists and people familiar with the site identified as the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Center on the outskirts of Tehran.

Grieving families were seen attempting to identify loved ones in the footage, though Iranian officials have not commented on the authenticity of the videos.

Despite the mounting toll, the Iranian government has sought to project an image of control. State television broadcast images of large pro-government rallies in Tehran and other cities, describing them as an “uprising against American-Zionist terrorism.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed the situation was “under total control,” without providing evidence.