A statement by the Martyrs Foundation noted that 2,427 civilians and security forces were killed in the protests.
Published on January 21, 2026
Iran’s state television has released the first official death toll of recent anti-government protests Prohibition It swept the country, recording 3,117 deaths during the crackdown.
In a statement carried by Press TV on Wednesday, Iran’s Martyrs Foundation said 2,427 civilians and security forces were killed in the protests.
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US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (food) stated that 4,519 people were killed in the wave of protests, including 4,251 demonstrators, 197 security personnel, 35 people under the age of 18, and 38 bystanders who were not demonstrators or security personnel.
HRANA also said 9,049 additional deaths were under review.
The protests, which began in late December by shopkeepers protesting the depreciating currency and the cost of living, grew into a wider anti-government movement.
Iranian officials denounced the protest as a “terrorist” incident and claimed the violent “riots” were instigated by the US.
The government action was widely condemned, with US President Donald Trump threatening to intervene in support of the protesters.
Some rights groups said the protesters were killed by direct fire from security forces.
In a report, Amnesty International said it documented Iranian security forces deployed on streets and rooftops, firing rifles and shotguns loaded with metal bullets, often targeting the heads and torsos of unarmed individuals.
US-Iran tensions
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal that Tehran would not back down if attacked, but “respect“For Iran.
“Unlike the restraint shown by Iran in June 2025 … our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we are attacked again,” he said.
An all-out conflict would surely be far scarier and much longer than the fictional timeline Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle in the White House. It will certainly cover a wide area and affect common people across the world,” Araghchi added.
Trump warned in an interview with News Nation on Tuesday that Iran would be wiped “off the face of the earth” if it ever successfully assassinated the president.
“I have very strong instructions. No matter what happens, they will wipe them off the face of the earth,” Trump said in a News Nation interview that aired Tuesday.
Last week, Trump was reported to have lobbied Iran not to attack after several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman, threatened to take action in response to the crackdown.