The death toll from last month’s nationwide protests in Iran has risen to at least 7,005 people, including 214 members of the security forces, activists said Thursday. Many more are feared dead.
The rising toll adds to tensions facing Iran at home and abroad as it seeks to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear program. A second round of talks remains uncertain as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged U.S. President Donald Trump to toughen his demands on Tehran.
“There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the prime minister know that will be a preference,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a deal, and they were hit. … That did not work well for them. Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday, Trump said Iran should reach an agreement with Washington “very quickly.” Asked about a timeline, he said, “I guess over the next month, something like that.” He warned that failure to reach a deal would be “very traumatic.”
Netanyahu, before returning to Israel, said Trump believes Iran understands it “made a mistake” by not reaching an agreement previously and may now accept conditions that would allow for a “good agreement.” Netanyahu said he remains skeptical of any deal and insisted it must address Iran’s ballistic missile program and support for militant proxies, not only its nuclear activities. He described his talks with Trump as “excellent.”
Activists’ toll rises
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency provided the latest death toll. The group has tracked casualties in previous rounds of unrest and relies on a network of activists inside Iran to verify deaths. It said the figure has risen as it continues to crosscheck information amid communication difficulties inside the country.
Iran’s government last issued an official toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Authorities have previously been accused of undercounting fatalities during unrest.
The Associated Press cannot independently verify the activist figures because authorities have disrupted internet access and international calls.
Anger over the crackdown remains high, and tensions could intensify as families mark the traditional 40-day mourning period for those killed.
Regional diplomacy continues
Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani met Wednesday in Qatar with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar hosts a major U.S. military base that Iran targeted in June after U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel.
Larijani also met with Hamas officials in Qatar and with representatives of Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in Oman earlier in the week.
In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, Larijani said Iran had not received a specific U.S. proposal during talks in Oman but acknowledged an “exchange of messages.”
Qatar has previously served as a mediator with Iran, with which it shares a large offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf. Qatar’s state news agency reported that Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with Trump about regional developments and efforts to de-escalate tensions.
The United States has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with additional ships and warplanes, to the region. U.S. forces recently shot down a drone they said approached the carrier and responded to an incident in which Iranian forces attempted to stop a U.S.-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump told Axios he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier. “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” he said.
Concern over Nobel laureate
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was “deeply appalled” by what it described as credible reports of the arrest and mistreatment of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
The committee said Mohammadi was beaten during her arrest in December and continues to face harsh treatment in custody. It called for her immediate and unconditional release.
“She continues to be denied adequate, sustained medical follow-up while being subjected to heavy interrogation and intimidation,” the committee said, adding that she has fainted several times and suffers from high blood pressure. It also said she has been denied follow-up care for suspected breast tumors.
Iran has sentenced Mohammadi, 53, to more than seven additional years in prison. Supporters had warned that she risked returning to prison after receiving medical furlough in December 2024.