The Iran Protest 2026 has seen a rising Iran death toll, with the Iran Human Rights group reporting widespread Iran crackdown, protest deaths, and thousands of protest arrests
Iran Protest: Over 3,400 Killed, Trump Warns of Action as Killings Rise (Source: X/ @DavidJHarrisJr)
Iranian security forces have killed at least 3,428 protesters during a nationwide crackdown, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) organisation. The group said more than 10,000 people have also been arrested.
IHR explained that the sharp rise in the death toll came after it received new data from inside Iran’s health and education ministries. The group added that at least 3,379 deaths happened between January 8 and January 12, when the protests were at their most intense.
IHR warned that Iranian authorities may now move towards large-scale executions.
"Following the mass killing of protesters on the streets in recent days, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary is threatening protesters with large-scale executions. The international community must take these threats extremely seriously, because officials of the Islamic Republic committed similar crimes in the 1980s in order to hold onto power," IHR's director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei announced that people arrested in connection with the protests would be tried quickly and in public. These warnings came after Iran’s top judicial official suggested that suspects arrested during the protests could face rapid trials and executions.
He made these remarks during a visit to a prison in Tehran, where he said he had personally reviewed the files of the so-called “rioters” and spoken with them.
He also said that public show trials were being planned for some of the alleged “main actors” of the protests, and that state media would be allowed to attend.
In a video broadcast on Iranian state television, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, said, "If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly."
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei kündigte an, dass Menschen, die im Zusammenhang mit den Protesten festgenommen wurden, schnell und öffentlich vor Gericht gestellt werden sollen.
— Iman Sefati (@ISefati) January 14, 2026
Diese Aussagen machte Ejei bei einem Besuch in einem Gefängnis in Teheran, wo er nach eigenen Angaben… pic.twitter.com/SK3FWZg0Aa
The demonstrations started on December 28. At first, people protested against the collapse of Iran’s currency, the rial, as the country’s economy continues to suffer under international sanctions, many of which are linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Iran over the killing of protesters. These remarks come only months after US forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities during a 12-day conflict launched by Israel in June. Trump told CBS on Tuesday, "If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action."
On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries released a joint statement expressing concern over the violence. They said they were "gravely concerned" about Iran’s security crackdown.
"We are deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries. We condemn the deliberate use of violence and the killing of protestors, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators," the statement said.
"We urge the Iranian authorities to exercise full restraint, to refrain from violence, and to uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran's citizens, including the rights to freedom of expression, to seek, receive and impart information, and the freedom of association and peaceful assembly, without fear of reprisal."
Iran has accused the United States and Israel of being behind the protests, although it has not provided any evidence. The government has also warned that it could carry out a pre-emptive military strike.
On Wednesday, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran was prepared to act.
The Guards are at "the height of readiness to respond decisively to the miscalculation of the enemy," said IRGC Commander Mohammad Pakpour in a statement carried by state television. He accused US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the "murderers of the youth of Iran."
Meanwhile, Iran held a mass funeral on Wednesday for around 100 security force members who were killed during the unrest.
Tens of thousands of people attended the ceremony. Many held Iranian flags and pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The coffins, covered in Iranian flags, were stacked high and decorated with red and white roses and framed photos of the dead.
Although some police and paramilitary forces have been pulled back to their bases, plainclothes security agents are still seen in several neighbourhoods. Many people remain afraid.
A mother of two, who did not give her name, said, "We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests." "We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored, but schools are closed, and I'm scared to send my children to school again."
Iranian families are searching in video which was posted on X through rows of bodies as the regime violently crushes nationwide protests. Iranian authorities have arrested more than 10,000 people and killed at least 500 protesters while cutting off the internet and seizing Starlink devices nationwide.
🚨 HORRIFIC! Iranian families search through rows of bodies as the regime violently crushes nationwide protests.
— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) January 12, 2026
Iranian authorities have arrested more than 10,000 people and killed at least 500 protesters while cutting off the internet and seizing Starlink devices nationwide.… pic.twitter.com/zDnwDyxRnc
