Reports: Death Toll from Protests in Iran May Exceed 10,000

SadaNews - Recent figures related to the casualties of the deadly protests in Iran indicate significant discrepancies regarding their number. A human rights organization has claimed that the toll has exceeded 6,000 people, while The Wall Street Journal described the events as "the most violent assault by the regime on opponents in decades."

According to estimates published by the Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) based in the United States, 6,126 people have been killed during the protests, noting fears that the death toll could be higher than this number.

The organization stated last Sunday that it had verified the deaths of more than 5,500 demonstrators and that there are 17 other cases under investigation based on evidence that includes photos of corpses and testimonies from its network of trained human rights documenters inside Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reported that preliminary estimates suggest the number has reached several thousands, making these events the most violent attack by the regime on opponents in decades. It cited HRANA estimates that the death toll in the protests may exceed 10,000 people, with more information to be revealed.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press, which also reported on HRANA's statements, said it could not independently verify the death toll due to internet outages and disruption of communications with the Islamic Republic.

Official Numbers

The aforementioned figures are significantly higher than those issued by the Iranian official authorities, which stated that the death toll is 3,117, confirming that 2,427 of them are civilians and security forces, noting that the rest are what they term "participants in the riots" that have occurred in the country.

The Iranian government accuses foreign entities, including American and Israeli intelligence, of participating in fuelling the unrest in the country. The spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Asghar Jahangir, stated earlier this January that "the recent events in the country were not just disturbances or protests, but were terrorist acts driven by Western countries."

"The Iranian Regime is Weakening"

In a related context, The New York Times reported from informed sources that President Donald Trump received multiple U.S. intelligence reports indicating that the Iranian government's position is weakening.

The newspaper stated that U.S. intelligence reports suggest that the Iranian government's grip on power is at its weakest since the overthrow of the Shah in the 1979 revolution. The New York Times quoted the White House spokesperson saying that Trump continues to monitor the situation in Iran closely.

The New York Times reported Republican Senator Lindsey Graham as saying, "I spoke with Trump in recent days about Iran, and I expect the president to fulfill his promise to help the Iranians who are protesting against their government."

Graham confirmed that the goal of the United States is to end the regime in Iran, adding, "They may stop killing them today, but if they remain in power next month, they will kill them then," referring to Iran's decision to suspend hundreds of executions following heightened tensions with Washington recently.

These developments come as America is mobilizing its forces in the region, coinciding with renewed threats from Trump to strike Iran under the pretext of protecting the Iranian protesters.

The regional arena is currently witnessing a sharp escalation in tensions surrounding Iran, following a series of military moves and official statements, as well as those from factions, amid fears of a potential confrontation that could extend throughout the region.

Source: Al Jazeera