Syria Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 2,571 – Activists Report
The death toll from a crackdown on protests in Iran jumps to at least 2,571, activists said early Wednesday.
The figure came from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists news agency, which has been accurate in multiple rounds of unrest in Iran in recent years.
The activist group said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more arduous. The Associated press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
That death toll dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 islamic Revolution.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – the death toll from nationwide protests in iran surpassed 2,000 people on Tuesday, activists said, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the frist time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on demonstrators.
The number of dead climbed to at least 2,003, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists news Agency. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranian state television offered the first official acknowledgment of the deaths, quoting an official saying the country had “a lot of martyrs” and that it did not release a toll earlier because of the dead suffering gruesome injuries. Though, that statement came only after activists reported their toll.
The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago in anger over Iran’s ailing economy and soon targeted the theocracy, notably 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Images obtained tuesday by The Associated Press from demonstrations in Tehran showed graffiti and chants calling for Khamenei’s death — something that could carry a death sentence.
Soon after the new death toll became public, U.S.President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!”
He added: “I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
However, hours later, Trump told reporters that his governance was awaiting an accurate report on the number of protesters that had been killed before acting “accordingly.”
Trump said about the Iranian security forces: “It woudl seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed.”
Iranian officials once again warned Trump against taking action, with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responding to U.S. posturing by writing: “We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2-” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
death toll spikes
The activist group said 1,850 of the dead were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Nine children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 16,700 people have been detained, the group said.
With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has gr