An Iranian official said Sunday that authorities have verified at least 5,000 deaths during the suppression of protests against the Islamic Republic, including about 500 members of the security forces.
Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, the official blamed the deaths of what he described as “innocent civilians” on “terrorists and armed rioters,” alleging they were supported and armed by Israel and other foreign actors. Iranian authorities routinely accuse foreign adversaries of fomenting unrest during periods of internal protest.
The official said the deadliest clashes occurred in Iran’s Kurdish regions in the northwest, where tensions between Kurdish separatist groups and the central government have flared repeatedly in past periods of unrest.
Despite unverified reports suggesting a significantly higher death toll, the official said the final number was not expected to rise sharply.
Rights groups and foreign media, however, have reported substantially different figures.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, said Saturday it had verified 3,308 deaths linked to the crackdown, while investigating an additional 4,382 cases that could raise the total significantly. HRANA also reported that more than 24,000 protesters have been arrested nationwide.
The organization warned that detainees could face prosecution and execution, citing past precedents following major protest waves, including the 2022 demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Although U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran halted around 800 planned executions, activists say trials and death sentences could still proceed.
On Sunday, Britain’s Sunday Times published a report citing what it described as an internal medical document compiled in Iran with the assistance of doctors who contacted the newspaper despite ongoing internet shutdowns, using the Starlink satellite service.
According to the report, between 16,500 and 18,000 protesters may have been killed, with as many as 360,000 injured, including children and pregnant women. The figures have not been independently verified.
The document was reportedly based on data collected from eight hospitals specializing in eye injuries, along with 16 other emergency medical departments across the country. It claimed that between 700 and 1,000 protesters lost an eye after being shot by security forces.
Doctors quoted by the newspaper said many deaths resulted from blood loss, and alleged that in some cases security forces prevented hospitals from providing blood transfusions to wounded protesters.
“We fought for hours to save lives, only to lose patients because we were not allowed to give them blood,” a Tehran-based surgeon was quoted as saying.
Professor Amir Farshteh, an Iranian ophthalmologist living in Germany, told the newspaper the crackdown amounted to mass killing under cover of a digital blackout. “They said they would kill until it stopped, and that is what they are doing,” he said.
Iran has experienced widespread protests since late December, driven by economic hardship, political repression and public anger at the ruling clerical establishment. Authorities have imposed internet restrictions and deployed security forces across major cities and restive regions.
While the government insists the unrest is being driven by armed groups and foreign interference, rights organizations and witnesses describe a sweeping and often indiscriminate crackdown on demonstrators.
The true scale of the deaths remains difficult to confirm amid tight state controls, limited access for independent observers and conflicting accounts from officials, activists and medical sources.