The US-based human rights group HRANA said the death toll from the protests in Iran has reached 2,571.
The group said it had so far confirmed the deaths of 2,403 protesters, 147 government-linked figures, 12 people under the age of 18 and nine civilians who were not among the protesters. An Iranian official said on Tuesday that about 2,000 people had been killed — the first time authorities have given a total death toll since the crackdown on protests that have erupted across the country for more than two weeks.
Demonstrations across the country
The protests are said to have spread to some 180 cities and towns and 31 provinces in Iran. Initially sparked by the collapse of the national currency and the skyrocketing cost of living, they have quickly turned into open political protests.
Analysts say they are one of the most serious challenges the theocratic regime has faced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The situation escalated dramatically last Thursday, when authorities responded to the protests with deadly force. The crackdown has been accompanied by a near-total internet and telecommunications blackout, making independent verification of events difficult.
Another organization, Norway-based Iran Human Rights, said it had confirmed the deaths of at least 734 protesters.
Trump's new threats just before the hanging of the first protester
A 26-year-old Iranian protester is expected to be executed today for his participation in anti-government protests that have rocked Iran, as Donald Trump openly calls on citizens to "keep protesting" and promises that "help is on the way," provoking a strong diplomatic response from Tehran.
The US president, in fact, when asked in an interview with CBS about Soltani's execution, warned of very strong measures if the young Iranian is executed. "We will take very strong measures. If they do something like that, we will take very strong measures," he said, while when asked to clarify what he meant, Mr. Trump referred to the recent US operation in Venezuela and the killing of the then leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2019.
According to the Norwegian human rights organization Hengaw, Erfan Soltani, from the city of Fardis west of Tehran, will be executed later today. Soltani was arrested in connection with protests in the city of Karaj.
The organization claims that his family was informed of the death sentence but was “deliberately kept in the dark” about the legal process. It says that “the hasty and non-transparent handling of the case raises concerns that the death penalty is being used as a tool to suppress protests.”
Indicative of the cruelty of the Tehran regime is the information from NGOs that Soltani was given only 10 minutes to say goodbye to his family, with Iranian security officials informing relatives that it would be their last farewell before the young man faced the executioner. According to the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), Soltani was also denied access to a lawyer or a trial, while “even a close relative who is a lawyer was obstructed and threatened by security agents when he tried to take up the case. They told him: ‘There is no file to review. We have announced that anyone arrested during the protests will be executed.’”
Soltani's family has also reportedly been threatened with arrest if they try to speak publicly about the case or contact the media, according to Iranwire. Donald Trump, in a post on the Truth Social platform, called on Iranian protesters to "keep protesting," warning that "murderers and abusers will pay a high price," without specifying what form the promised aid might take, however.
In an interview with CBS News, the US president said he would take “very strong action” if the Iranian regime continued to hang protesters. At the same time, the US called on its citizens to “leave Iran immediately,” preferably via Turkey or Armenia, while JD Vance called a meeting of the National Security Council, which Trump also attended.
Secret contacts and political processes
Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, reportedly met secretly over the weekend with Iran's exiled former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, who is trying to emerge as a central figure in the opposition after the outbreak of protests.
At the same time, Iranian diplomacy launched a harsh attack on Trump, with a letter from Iran's permanent representative to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, addressed to the Security Council. In the letter, which was also shared with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iravani accuses the US president of "openly encouraging political destabilization," "inciting violence," and "a direct threat to the sovereignty and national security of the Islamic Republic."
According to Tehran, "The United States and the Israeli regime bear direct and undeniable legal responsibility for the loss of innocent civilian lives, especially young people."
