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15:14

Iranian State TV Confirms Authenticity Of Footage Showing Numerous Bodies In Warehouse

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  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Iranian state-controlled broadcaster IRIB -- one of the few media outlets with Internet access -- has published a video report showing a large warehouse in Tehran containing numerous bodies, but attributed their deaths to protesters.

The report does not specify the city district, the exact location of the warehouse, or any other details.

Prior to this state TV report, which was broadcast on January 11, images received by Radio Farda on the previous night -- and likely recorded near a medical facility and the Kahrizak morgue in Tehran -- appeared to show the bodies of several people killed, with visible gunshot wounds on some of them. Their relatives were present at the site to identify them.

In another video, filmed from a different angle, families are seen inside a large hall searching among dozens of lifeless bodies for their loved ones, with some in the process of identifying and confirming the identities of victims.

According to Radio Farda, the concentration of such a large number of bodies in a single location could give some indication of the scale of the casualties during the crackdown.

In its report on the afternoon of January 11, IRIB confirmed the authenticity of the images but attributed the killing of the majority of those shown to opponents of the government.

In the report, an IRIB correspondent shows scenes of bodies being transported by pickup trucks from a forensic medical facility to a large warehouse, along with numerous bloodied bodies lying on the floor of the hall, and -- without providing any evidence -- claims that the majority of the victims were not killed by government forces.

However, the reporter also acknowledges at one point that among them there may have been individuals who intended to confront law enforcement.

On January 11, the Iran Human Rights Organization said that reports indicate widespread killing of protesters in different parts of the country, particularly in Tehran.

According to the Norway-based rights monitor, the deaths of at least 192 protesters have been confirmed since the start of the protests, nine of whom were under the age of 18.

At the same time, the organization warned that there are unverified reports indicating the deaths of at least several hundred people. According to estimates by some sources, the death toll could be more than 2,000, it added.

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12:51

Iran Human Rights Organization Reports At Least 192 Protesters Killed

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Protesters take to the streets on January 10 in Tehran's Pasdaran district, a relatively affluent neighborhood in the Iranian capital.

The Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) says that a harsh crackdown on demonstrations in Iran has intensified significantly and that reports indicate widespread killing of protesters in different parts of the country, particularly in Tehran.

According to the Norway-based rights monitor, the deaths of at least 192 protesters have been confirmed since the start of the protests, nine of whom were under the age of 18.

At the same time, the organizationwarnedthat there are unverified reports indicating the deaths of at least several hundred people. According to estimates by some sources, the death toll could be more than 2,000, it added.

Due to a complete Internet blackout in Iran and severe restrictions on access to information, IHRNGO stressed that independently verifying these reports "remains a serious challenge."

The organization also expressed grave concern over threats by officials of the Islamic republics judiciary to issue death sentences against protesters on charges of moharebeh (waging war against God), and called for an immediate response from the international community to prevent the continuation of the killings and the risk of mass executions of detainees.

Threats by Iranian authorities to sentence protesters to death on charges such as moharebeh must be taken extremely seriously, IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said. Those who are in power today are the same individuals who, in the 1980s, committed crimes against humanity by executing thousands of political prisoners without trial. The risk of a repetition of those crimes is entirely real.

Meanwhile, the Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed on January 11 that a considerable number of security and law enforcement personnel have been killed in clashes with protesters over the past few nights. Citing an informed source, the agency said actions against security forces had resulted in the martyrdom of many personnel, and a significant number of police officers had also been injured.

In its latestassessmentof the situation in Iran, HRANA, a rights-focused Iranian news agency, reported that 37 of those killed in the clashes were members of military or security forces, and that one prosecutor was also killed.

Currently, only a handful of state-affiliated news agencies have access to the Internet and are publishing exclusively the narratives of security and law enforcement bodies. The Islamic republic has now cut off nationwide Internet access for more than 60 hours as widespread anti-government protests continue for the 15th straight day.

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11:56

Footage of a protester pulling down the national flag from the Iranian Embassy yesterday has been doing the rounds on social media.

The footage appears to show a man climbing the balcony of the embassy in central London and replacing the flag with the pre-Islamic revolution flag, featuring a lion and sun, which is frequently used by Iranian opposition groups.

The Iranian Embassy laterposted a pictureon its X account, showing a flag at the embassy and the words Irans flag is flying high.

The Guardianreportedthat an estimated 500-1,000 people attended the protest in Kensington on January 10, and that two arrests were made.

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11:20

'Given Orders To Do Whatever They Want': Tehran Man Describes 'War Scenes' Amid Crackdown

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Protesters in Tehran gather as vehicles burn amid anti-government unrest in Iran.

A man who witnessed a crackdown on protests in eastern Tehran told Radio Farda late on January 10 that the repression of demonstrations has intensified.

He said that with the large-scale deployment of Revolutionary Guards, Basij militia forces, and riot police units, the possibility of forming gatherings has effectively disappeared and the city has taken on a heavily securitized atmosphere.

According to him, the continuous sound of pellet-gun fire has been heard across the Iranian capital in recent nights, while drones have been flying constantly over neighborhoods to monitor streets and alleyways.

The man, whose name is not being published for safety reasons, added that the level of violence has increased sharply and that the complete Internet shutdown has created the sense that authorities have been given orders to do whatever they want.

He claimed the violence was initiated by security forces and that protesters were not the instigators of clashes.

He also stressed that the streets have become completely unsafe, recounting that while returning home he was suddenly confronted at very close range by several motorcyclists armed with shotguns and felt he could be shot at any moment.

He added that indiscriminate gunfire continues at night, and said security forces seemed to be treating the presence of any individual on the streets late in the evening as grounds for being targeted.

The man said that -- after clearing the main thoroughfares -- security forces have moved into residential neighborhoods and fired tear gas into alleyways and even toward homes wherever chanting is heard.

He said the presence of plainclothes Basij forces and armed motorcyclists has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, and that by around 10:30 p.m. on January 10, the streets were almost completely deserted.

He described the situation in the city as resembling war scenes, citing the presence of spent shell casings, shattered glass, and the lingering smell of burning tires and tear gas throughout the city.

The man also said shops have been closing earlier than usual, very long bread lines have formed, and shortages of some essential goods, including cooking oil, have been reported. He added that concerns about insecurity, attacks, or looting have led some shopkeepers to stay overnight in their stores.

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10:12

The UN's independent fact-finding mission in Iran has issued a statement calling on the country's leadership to restore Internet connectivity and "to immediately desist from any unnecessary and disproportionate use of lethal force." It said the "current crackdown mirrors patterns previously documented," including "gross human rights violations, and a systemic lack of accountability."

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09:42

'Being Away From Home Under These Conditions Has Made Life Feel Impossible'

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

With Iran currently experiencing a days-long digital blackout, RFE/RL's Radio Farda has been in touch with Iranians outside the country who can't reach their families because of the shutdown back home. For safety reasons, some of those who responded asked to remain anonymous, while others requested that only their first names be used.

Farnaz, Turkey

Since Thursday, I have lost all contact with my family. I left Iran for a business trip, while my child and the rest of my family remain there. I have no way of knowing whether they are alive or what is happening to them. We are hearing so much devastating news, and with every hour, the stress and horror increase. People who are outside Iran, for whatever reason, are going through unbearably difficult moments. We are constantly searching for any way to communicate, but there is none.

Shahnaz, Berlin

I have been nonstop trying to reach my friends and family, many of whom I know were participating in the protests. Unfortunately, none of my messages on Instagram, WhatsApp, or Telegram are being delivered. Since this morning, I have also been trying to reach them through direct phone lines, without success. I have no idea what condition they are in.

Anonymous woman, Germany

Since Thursday night, I have lost contact with my family and friends. Even though I know there is almost no chance of getting through, I keep dialing their numbers obsessively. I have read their last messages thousands of times. It feels as if, in a matter of seconds, I have lost all of them. With endless thoughts and worries, imagining the worst, and having access to only limited information, passing these hours and days feels like a nightmare -- one that I dont know when or how it will end.

Anonymous man, Italy

From the deepest part of my heart, I wish I were there with my people during this historic moment, facing the danger alongside them. Instead, I am here, trying to maintain a life that now feels almost impossible to manage. My friends, my 76-year-old father, and other relatives wanted to go out into the streets, and not knowing what has happened to them is unbearable.

My mother is very sick; I used to speak with her every day, and my father was taking care of her. Not knowing how either of them is doing is devastating. At the same time, my partners father was admitted to the ICU a few days ago in critical condition. She is an only child and had been in daily contact with him. Now she can barely speak. Being away from home under these conditions has made life feel impossible.

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09:09

Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with the news that the Iran's internet blackout has now last more than 60 hours, according to the digital rights watchdog and monitor NetBlocks.

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20:36

10.1.2026

'Hundreds Of Gunshots': Witness Tells RFE/RL Of Iran Protest Violence

• By

  RFE/RL's Radio Farda

RFE/RL's Radio Farda has spoken to an Iranian man who says he witnessed protests in the southeastern city of Kerman on January 8 and January 9.

Nader B, whose name and voice have been changed to protect his identity, says security forces launched a violent crackdown in the city on January 9 with hundreds of gunshots being fired.