At least 2,500 people have been killed in nationwide protests in Iran, rights groups have said, as authorities held a mass funeral for security forces in Tehran on Wednesday.
The US-based Hrana rights group confirmed the deaths of 2,403 protesters, including 12 children, in its latest statement. It said 147 security personnel and government supporters were also killed, as well as nine bystanders, bringing the total to 2,559.
State television reported on a mass funeral procession in Tehran held by the Iranian government for more than 100 people killed in the protests, including security personnel and "other martyrs". Mourners carried portraits of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran is the scene of widespread protests across its 31 provinces in one of the largest challenges to the ruling clerical regime in more than a decade. The unrest has evolved from complaints about Iran's dire economic situation to calls for regime change.
Authorities have accused the US and Israel of backing and instigating violence and chaos, and have threatened a “no leniency” response towards “foreign-backed rioters”.
Human rights groups based outside Iran say some of the protesters confirmed dead were shot at close range with live fire by security forces. They accuse the government of killing protesters, while the authorities have blamed deaths on "armed terrorists" backed by the US and Israel.
Iranian authorities have not provided official figures for the number of people killed. External rights groups have compiled tallies based on reports from civilians in Iran, but this has become more difficult since Tehran imposed an almost total internet shutdown on Thursday.
A political observer in Iran, who has been able to access the internet intermittently, told The National on Wednesday the situation is “like nothing” he has seen before.
“We are all fine [in my family] but everyone’s mental health is damaged seriously," he added. "It’s a never-ending nightmare.”
He said protests seemed “much smaller” on Tuesday night and Wednesday than on previous days. He also confirmed reports of drones flying over Tehran to detect Starlink satellite dishes, which some Iranians have been using to bypass the shutdown.
The observer said his understanding was that US President Donald Trump is “apparently trying to use the current opportunity to push the Iranian regime to agree a deal in which Iran’s regional and nuclear activities are neutralised”.
At the same time, he said, Mr Trump “could have prevented this massacre but he didn’t want to”.
The US President has repeatedly threatened Iran's leadership over the killing of protesters but has yet to take action. On Tuesday, he called on Iranians to continue protesting against the government and to take over the country's institutions, promising that “help is on its way”.
When asked what he meant, Mr Trump told reporters they would have to figure it out. The US leader has said military action is among the options he is considering to punish Iran over its suppression of protesters.
Iran's mission to the UN called on the world body to condemn the US over Mr Trump's comments for inciting violence and threatening the use of force. The Iranian mission said the US and Israel bear legal responsibility for the loss of civilian lives.
Mr Trump also said he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the “senseless killing” of protesters stopped and urged Iranians to “save the name of the killers and the abusers … because they'll pay a very big price”.
His comments came a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was ready for war but open to communication with the US. While Washington and Tehran have publicly exchanged threats of war, each has signalled an openness to dialogue.
Mr Araghchi confirmed he has been engaged in talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff “before and after the protests”, and that communication is “continuing”. He said he hopes the US will choose “the wise option” of dialogue, while warning of “those trying to drag Washington into war in order to serve Israel’s interests”.
Iran's ally China said on Wednesday it opposes any outside interference in Iran's internal affairs. China does not condone the use or the threat of force in international relations, said Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, when asked about Beijing's position after Mr Trump's threats.
Iran has warned countries in the region it will strike American military bases in their territory if there is a US attack, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.
An Iranian consul general in Iraq, Jaafar Safri, said any attack on Iran would be met with retaliation. Iran has informed the US that "all American bases are within our targets if the republic is targeted”, Mr Safri said in Karbala.
He said the protests began as peaceful demonstrations by traders and merchants over price instability but were later exploited by the US and Israel to implement their own agendas.
"The government has been in contact with traders and has taken corrective decisions, and things are calming down," he said. "The US and [Israel] began to implement their agendas, but our security forces intervened strongly and stopped the killings."
He attributed the internet shutdown to efforts to prevent co-ordination between "spies" and "conspirators" against the country. He emphasised the Iranian government is committed to economic reforms and that protests are a legitimate right of the people.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman on Tuesday expressed Doha’s support for “all efforts aiming to de-escalate and pursue peaceful solutions” during a phone call with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said. It said the two men discussed regional developments, without directly mentioning the protests in Iran.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a call with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday. Mr Araghchi told Sheikh Abdullah that “calm has prevailed” in the country and that Iranians are determined to defend their sovereignty and security from any foreign interference, Iranian state media reported.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also held his second phone call in as many days with Mr Araghchi. Mr Fidan “emphasised the need for negotiations to resolve current regional tensions”, a Turkish diplomatic official said in written remarks to journalists.
