Almost 4,000 people have been killed in nationwide protests in Iran, with 8,900 more deaths under investigation, the US-based Hrana rights group said in an updated toll released after "limited and unstable internet connectivity" was restored to parts of the country.
"According to verified case-based statistics, 3,919 people have been killed, while 8,949 additional deaths are still under investigation," Hrana said. "Intermittent internet connections have allowed accumulated information to reach independent sources with delay."
An internet shutdown imposed by authorities since January 8 has made it difficult to obtain and verify information from inside Iran. Hrana reported a partial restoration of connectivity in some areas on Sunday, but added "internet access remains severely disrupted in most parts of the country".
An Iranian official on Sunday said at least 5,000 people were killed in the unrest, including about 500 security personnel, citing verified figures. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged "several thousand deaths" in a public address on Saturday, which he blamed on "terrorists and rioters" linked to the US and Israel.
While the demonstrations that developed across Iran's 31 provinces last month seem to have been largely quelled, Tehran and Washington continue to exchange warnings.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in Iran if protesters continue to be killed or are executed. "It's time to look for new leadership in Iran," he told Politico.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Tehran's response "to any unjust aggression will be harsh and regrettable", and that any attack on the supreme leader is "tantamount to an all-out war against the nation".
Iran's judiciary has indicated that executions may go ahead, after Mr Trump last week welcomed Tehran's decision to "cancel a large number of scheduled executions" and consequently held back on military action.
"A series of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments," Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a press conference. Mohareb, meaning to wage war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.
Tension had soared last week as a US strike on Iran appeared imminent, sources told The National, but Mr Trump instead adopted a wait-and-see approach after being told the killing of protesters was declining.
He told reporters at the White House that “very important sources on the other side” had said “the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place”.
The US President also denied Arab or Gulf states had convinced him to refrain from attacking Iran. US media had reported that senior officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Egypt, as well as Israel, had urged Mr Trump to hold back on a strike.
“Nobody convinced me. I convinced myself,” he said. “You had, yesterday, scheduled over 800 hangings. They [Iran] didn't hang anyone. They cancelled the hangings. That had a big impact.”
Hrana said at least 24,669 people have been detained since public rallies initially in protest against economic hardship began on December 28. The protests quickly swelled into natonwide demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule in Iran.
