Iran protests: Death toll rises above 60 amid nationwide crackdown

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at the United States as the death toll from nearly two weeks of protests across Iran rose to at least 60, according to report. In footage aired on state television, Khamenei described US president Donald Trump as having hands “stained with the blood of Iranians,” while supporters chanted “Death to America!”

Iranian state media later repeatedly labelled the demonstrators as “terrorists,” rhetoric that has often preceded violent crackdowns after previous waves of nationwide unrest.

The Norway-based group Iran Human Rights said dozens have been killed and hundreds more injured since protests erupted over soaring living costs and a plunging currency, with demonstrations spreading from Tehran to cities such as Mashhad despite heavy security presence.

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Addressing a gathering at his Tehran compound, the 86-year-old Khamenei accused protesters of “ruining their own streets” to please the US president, after Washington voiced support for demonstrators. “Because he said that he would come to their aid,” Khamenei said. “He should pay attention to the state of his own country instead.”

Streets fill with defiance

Despite a heavy crackdown, crowds of Iranians have continued to take to the streets. Majid, who spoke under a pseudonym for safety, described joining hundreds of demonstrators in eastern Mashhad on Wednesday night. Tear gas burned his eyes as police attempted to disperse the crowd, yet protesters regrouped repeatedly throughout the night.

“Police are targeting people with pellets, tear gas, and shotguns,” he said. “At first, people dispersed, but they gathered again. We know there is a risk to our lives, but we are out there fighting for a better future.”

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The protests, which began in late December, have spread to Tehran and other major cities, with numbers of demonstrators and casualties steadily increasing.  

‘Last fight’  

Majid, a mobile shopkeeper in his thirties, said this time felt different. “During these protests, even those people or those classes that had never felt the pressure before are now under pressure,” he said.

“You can see 50-year-old women, I saw someone who used to collect garbage on the streets chanting slogans along with shopkeepers. Young, old, men, women, all are in the streets."

This wave of protests has hit as the clerical authorities under the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are already battling an economic crisis after years of sanctions and recovering from the June war against Israel.

“This is going to be the last fight against the government,” Majid said, though he’s uncertain of what would take the Islamic republic’s place.

“Right now, we just want to get rid of this bloody government because no matter who comes to rule, it won’t be as bloody as them."

Another shop owner in Kermanshah in western Iran, which has seen intense protest activity, shuttered his store as part of a strike called in protest on Thursday.

The 43-year-old said he had taken part in every protest since 2009, when mass demonstrations flooded the streets after disputed elections.

But this one felt different from previous movements, because “people’s economic situation is heading towards complete collapse and life is no longer as it once was”.

“No matter how hard we work, we cannot keep up with the inflation for which the regime is responsible,” he told AFP via messaging app, saying protesters wanted “radical change in Iran”.

“Although I have a relatively good job, our lives have been severely affected this year by these economic conditions. We want a free and democratic Iran, and a free Kurdistan."

Another merchant in Saqqez in Kurdistan province said he expected “more intense and widespread waves of protests in the coming days in Kurdish cities”, echoing other Iranians.

Echoes of past unrest

The current wave follows violent crackdowns during the 2022–2023 protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. Security forces responded to those demonstrations with lethal force, leaving dozens dead, a pattern that appears to be repeating in the current unrest.

With inputs from agencies