The death toll surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said today, as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping.
The figure came from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week.
It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. Demonstrations have reached more than 250 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest.
The semi-official Fars news agency, believed close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported late Monday (local time) that some 250 police officers and 45 members of the Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force have been hurt in the demonstrations.
The growing death toll carries with it the chance of American intervention. US President Donald Trump warning Iran on Friday (local time) that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters", the United States “will come to their rescue”.
While it remained unclear how and if Trump wouldl intervene, his comments sparked an immediate, angry response, with officials within the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Mideast. The comments took on new importance after the US military on Saturday (local time) captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.
The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the protests have yet to be as widespread and intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities.
Iran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after a 12-day war with Israel, its rial currency collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to $1 (NZ$1.73). Protests began soon after.
Understanding the scale of this latest round of protests has been difficult. Iranian state media has provided little information about the demonstrations. Online videos offered only brief, shaky glimpses of people in the streets or the sound of gunfire. Journalists in Iran also faced limits on reporting in general such as requiring permission to travel around the country, as well as the threat of harassment or arrest by authorities.
But the protests did not appear to be stopping, even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday (local time) said “rioters must be put in their place”.
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