Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
About 2,000 people including security personnel have been killed in protests in Iran, an Iranian official said on Tuesday, the first time authorities have acknowledged the high death toll from an intense crackdown on two weeks of nationwide unrest.
The Iranian official, speaking to Reuters, said that what he called terrorists were behind the deaths of both protesters and security personnel. The official did not give a breakdown of who had been killed.
The unrest, sparked by dire economic conditions, has been the biggest internal challenge to Iranian authorities for at least three years and comes amid intensifying international pressure after Israeli and US strikes last year.
Iran's clerical authorities, in power since a 1979 Islamic Revolution, have tried to take a dual approach to the demonstrations, calling protests over economic problems legitimate while enforcing a harsh security crackdown. They have accused the US and Israel of fomenting unrest and said unnamed people they call terrorists have hijacked the protests.
A rights group had previously identified hundreds of people killed and said that thousands had been arrested.
Videos of nighttime clashes between demonstrators and security forces over the past week, including several that were verified by Reuters, have shown violent confrontations with gunfire and burning cars and buildings.
An Iranian parliamentarian said on Tuesday the government will face even bigger protests unless it addresses people's grievances, after more than two weeks of nationwide demonstrations that have challenged the legitimacy of the country's clerical rulers.
"We should not forget one point: people have dissatisfactions and officials in government and parliament needs to solve them, otherwise the same events will occur with greater intensity," Mohammadreza Sabaghian, who represents several counties in central Yazd province, said during a parliamentary session, Reuters reported.
The UN human rights chief said on Tuesday that he was "horrified" by mounting violence by Iran's security forces against peaceful protesters, with the UN citing its own sources as saying that hundreds have been killed so far.
"This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement read out by UN rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.
Turk also voiced concern that the death penalty might be used against thousands of protesters who have been arrested.
The unrest has prompted US President Donald Trump to reissue threats to intervene militarily on behalf of Iran's protesters.
"There's concern that (the protests) have been instrumentalised, and they shouldn't be instrumentalised by anyone," said Laurence on a possible US intervention.
Trump has announced that any country doing business with Iran will have to pay a 25 per cent tariff on its trade with Washington, a move that could impact Tehran's major trading partners such as India, China and the UAE.
Tehran's ‘warning’ to American politicians
Iran issued a warning to the US and said that it is aware of its enemies and is strong. The Iranian Embassy in India said that pro government gatherings in the country have foiled the enemies of foreign plans.
In a post on X, the embassy said, “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Great Nation of Iran! Today, you have accomplished a great deed and created a historic day. Filled with determination and resolve, these grand gatherings have foiled the plan of foreign enemies, which was to be implemented by domestic mercenary soldiers.”
"The great nation of Iran has revealed itself, its resolve, and its identity before its enemies. This was a warning to American politicians to cease their deceptions and not to rely on treacherous mercenary killers. The Iranian nation is strong and powerful, aware of its enemies and discerning of them, and always present in the field. May God bestow His mercy upon you all," the post added.
Lufthansa delays plan to resume flights to Tehran
German airline group Lufthansa delayed a plan to resume flights to Tehran on January 16 after an interruption of about seven months.
"Due to the current situation, Lufthansa decided on Monday afternoon to suspend its flights to Tehran until Wednesday, January 28," a spokesperson said.
"The safety of passengers and crew is always Lufthansa's top priority," the spokesperson added.
Protests have broadened in Iran since they first erupted in the capital, Tehran, in December, with demonstrators now calling for an end to clerical rule.
