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Protests successful Iran, which began successful precocious December 2025 implicit the country’s worsening economical conditions, person escalated into a broader situation to its clerical leadership, which has been successful powerfulness since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Tensions with the United States person mounted since US President Donald Trump suggested that Washington could militarily intervene successful Iran if determination was a crackdown connected protesters.
Critics of the Iranian government, chiefly successful the West, assertion that thousands of radical person died successful the protests. In particular, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) enactment the decease toll astatine 2,615 connected Wednesday.
However, the Iranian authorities said these numbers person been exaggerated, and Iranian authorities TV reports enactment the fig astatine astir 300.
On Wednesday night, Trump’s code softened erstwhile helium said helium had received assurances from Iran that the killings of protesters successful Iran had stopped and that executions of detained demonstrators would not spell ahead.
But his earlier threats to onslaught Iran prompted Tehran to pass of retaliation and, connected Wednesday, Qatar confirmed immoderate unit had been removed from the Al Udeid airbase, which hosts US equipped forces, saying it was in response to “current regional tensions”.
There person been immoderate clashes betwixt demonstrators and information forces successful Iran, resulting successful deaths. An ongoing net blackout – which entered its eighth time connected Thursday – has made it peculiarly hard to way the existent fig of deaths, according to watchdog NetBlocks.
What bash we cognize astir the decease toll successful Iran?
Iran has not released an authoritative decease toll, but authorities stated this week that much than 100 members of the information forces person been killed successful clashes with protesters. Opposition activists said the toll is overmuch higher and includes much than 1,000 protesters.
HRANA said the fig of radical killed had climbed to astatine slightest 2,615 connected Wednesday.
Norway-based organisation Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported connected Wednesday that astatine slightest 3,428 protesters had been killed successful a crackdown connected demonstrations.
But the aforesaid day, Iranian authorities TV said wide funerals were taking spot successful Tehran that would see 300 bodies of information unit members and civilians.
In an interrogation with Fox News connected Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that Tehran had plans to execute protesters. During this interview, Araghchi downplayed the decease toll that is being reported.
“I surely contradict the numbers and figures they person said. It is an exaggeration, it is simply a misinformation campaign, lone to find excuses, lone to bash different aggression against Iran,” Araghchi said, adding that the fig was being exaggerated to impact Trump successful the conflict.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify immoderate of the figures that person been reported.
Among each of these figures, HRANA’s numbers are the ones that are astir cited by quality organisations worldwide.
What is HRANA?
According to its website, US-based HRANA is the quality bureau affiliated with Human Rights Activists successful Iran (also known arsenic HRAI and HRA), which is described arsenic “a non-political and non-governmental organisation comprised of advocates who support quality rights successful Iran”.
The website states that HRAI was formed successful 2005 but does not sanction oregon supply details astir who formed the organisation.
It says that successful February 2006, a tiny radical of Iranian activists gathered to organise protests against quality rights violations successful the country.
“That effort laic the instauration of a larger imaginativeness that yet led to the constitution of an enactment aboriginal known arsenic Human Rights Activists successful Iran,” the website states, adding that, initially, the effort was focused connected governmental prisoners. It supported victims’ families, documented abuses and ran nationalist acquisition campaigns successful Iran.
Why is the radical present based successful the US?
By March 2010, the radical was legally registered wrong Iran, shifting from a “semi-secret enactment into 1 which openly operated successful Iran”, it states.
The organisation adds that during this time, the radical decided to publically disclose the names of its leaders. “By publically disclosing the names of our leaders, we hoped to neutralize specified suspicions that person historically led to brutal crackdowns successful the past.”
However, the authorities did ace down connected it, it says.
The website adds: “The military-style crackdown of our enactment connected March 2, 2010 near our members adjacent much determined than earlier to re-group and yet rebuild the indispensable infrastructure needed to proceed our enactment contempt the information risks that threatened each and each 1 of us.”
According to a papers published by Amnesty International connected March 12, 2010, HRAI reported that Iranian information forces raided the location and workplace of astatine slightest 29 of its members betwixt March 2 and March 3, arresting 15 people.
The website adds that soon aft the crackdown, HRAI registered successful the US arsenic a nonprofit organisation, and focused connected recruiting skilled members, integrating exertion into its operations and “obtaining due sources of fiscal support”.
What is HRANA’s appraisal of the situation successful Iran?
This week, HRANA reported that of the 2,615 radical killed, 2,435 were protesters, 153 were affiliated with the authorities oregon military, and 14 were civilians who were not protesting.
Besides the decease toll, HRANA has reported that 18,470 radical person been arrested implicit the people of 617 protests successful 187 cities, opening connected December 28 successful Tehran.
HRANA has besides published quality articles online with names, photos, ages and much accusation astir immoderate of the radical who it says person been arrested oregon killed.
What bash we cognize astir HRANA’s backers, members and methodology?
Al Jazeera contacted HRANA for comment, but a spokesperson declined to disclose accusation astir the group’s members oregon backing sources, citing information concerns.
The spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the organisation confirms each information with superior sources, but said it could not disclose the identities of individuals oregon organisations successful Iran with whom HRANA corroborates information. Its methodology for collecting and analysing information is not provided connected its website.
How has HRANA’s erstwhile reporting compared with authoritative authorities figures?
Iran fought a 12-day warfare with Israel from June 13 to 24 successful 2025.
HRANA reported that implicit the people of the conflict, 1,190 radical were killed and 4,475 were injured successful Iran. These figures included civilian and subject casualties. The organisation additionally reported that during the war, 1,596 radical were arrested by Iranian information forces.
By contrast, according to Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 610 radical were killed and 4,746 radical were injured implicit the people of the war.
In September 2022, a young pistillate named Mahsa Amini, aged 22, was arrested successful Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly. She collapsed portion successful custody and died successful infirmary a fewer days later.
Her decease caused nationalist outrage and wide protests successful Iran that lasted for respective weeks. The slogan “woman, life, freedom” was chanted successful the streets.
HRANA reported successful October 2022 that 200 radical died and astir 5,500 radical were arrested during those protests.
That decease toll matched figures of the authorities information assembly of the Iranian interior ministry, which said successful December 2022 that more than 200 radical had been killed since September. The information assemblage said the deceased included information forces, those killed successful “terrorist acts”, those killed by foreign-affiliated groups and described those killed by authorities forces arsenic “rioters” and “armed anti-revolutionary elements who were members of secessionist groups”.
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