Iran unrest: Official says verified protest deaths reach at least 5,000 as ‘terrorists and armed rioters’ targeted innocents

As protests and public outrage against the regime appear to have eased, an Iranian official based in the region said on Sunday that at least 5,000 people — including around 500 security personnel — were killed during unrest across Iran, accusing “terrorists and armed rioters” of targeting civilians.

The official said the figures had been verified and claimed the final death toll was unlikely to rise significantly. The protests began on December 28 over economic hardship and escalated over the next two weeks into nationwide demonstrations demanding an end to clerical rule, marking the deadliest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly blamed foreign powers for the violence. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the US and Israel of orchestrating the unrest, acknowledging that “several thousand” people had died.

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Over 24,000 arrests reported by rights group

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Saturday it had documented at least 3,308 deaths, with another 4,382 cases still under review. The group added that more than 24,000 people had been arrested.

The Iranian official rejected higher estimates, saying confirmed figures would not rise sharply, and alleged that Israel and armed groups operating from abroad had supported and equipped those involved in the protests.

Trump warns of possible US intervention

US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could intervene if protesters continued to be killed or executed. In a social media post on Friday, Trump said Tehran had halted planned mass executions and thanked Iran’s leadership, although Iran’s judiciary later indicated that executions could still proceed.

“We will not drag the country into war, but we will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media on Saturday.

Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said several cases had been classified as Mohareb — an Islamic legal term meaning waging war against God — which carries the death penalty under Iranian law.

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Kurdish regions record highest casualties

The Iranian official said some of the deadliest clashes occurred in Iran’s northwestern Kurdish regions, where separatist groups have long been active and past episodes of unrest have also turned violent.

Three sources told Reuters on January 14 that armed Kurdish groups had attempted to cross into Iran from Iraq, suggesting foreign actors may have sought to exploit the unrest.

The Norway-based Kurdish rights group Hengaw also reported that some of the most intense clashes during the protests took place in Kurdish-majority areas.

Crackdown suppresses protests, internet curbs continue

According to residents and state media, a heavy security crackdown has largely suppressed the protests. Internet access has been restricted, with shutdowns briefly eased early on Saturday before being reimposed later in the day, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.