Violence linked to ongoing Iran protests has killed at least 35 people, including four children, according to a US-based activist group that tracks the unrest. The group also reported more than 1,200 detentions as demonstrations continued for more than a week and showed no sign of stopping.
The figures were reported by the Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said 29 protesters, four children, and two members of Iran’s security forces have been killed. The group said protests have spread to more than 250 locations across 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Death toll and detentions
The Human Rights Activists News Agency said its reporting relies on an activist network inside Iran. It also said it has been accurate in previous periods of unrest.
The group’s count described multiple categories among those killed, separating protesters, children, and security personnel. It also said detentions have surpassed 1,200 as protests continue.
Protests spread nationwide
The demonstrations have reached over 250 locations, according to the activist group’s tally. It said the protests have occurred in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces, indicating a wide geographic spread.
The unrest has been ongoing for more than a week, and the same report said the protests are not slowing down. The report described the current protests as the biggest in Iran since 2022, while also saying they have not become as widespread and intense as those linked to Mahsa Amini’s death.
Reports of injuries to security forces
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported that about 250 police officers and 45 members of the Basij force have been hurt during the demonstrations. The Basij was described as the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer force, and Fars was described as being believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
These reported injuries came as the activist group’s death toll estimate continued to rise, highlighting the violent nature of the confrontations surrounding the protests. The same report emphasized that the protests have continued without showing signs of stopping.
Trump warning and international attention
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday that if Tehran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.” The report said it remained unclear how or whether Trump would intervene, but described his comments as taking on new importance after the US military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday.
Maduro was described as a longtime ally of Tehran in the report. The report also framed the growing death toll as raising the chance of American intervention.
Economic strain and recent unrest
The report said Iran has faced repeated rounds of nationwide protests in recent years. It also said that as sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after a 12-day war with Israel in June, Iran’s rial currency collapsed in December to an exchange rate of 1.4 million to $1.
According to the report, protests began soon after the currency collapse. It also noted that the current wave of protests comes after major unrest in 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations.
