SRINAGAR: More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran amid a violent crackdown by security forces on anti-government protests, a human rights group said, as US President Donald Trump said help for Iranians was “on its way”, Reuters reported.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed the deaths of at least 1,850 protesters over the past 17 days, along with 135 people affiliated with the government, nine civilians not involved in the unrest and nine children, despite an ongoing internet blackout. An Iranian official also told Reuters that about 2,000 people had been killed but blamed what he described as “terrorists” for the violence.
The protests, sparked by severe economic hardship, represent the most serious internal challenge to Iran’s authorities in at least three years. The unrest has unfolded amid growing international pressure on Tehran following Israeli and US strikes last year.
Iran’s clerical leadership, in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has adopted a dual approach, acknowledging protests over economic conditions as legitimate while simultaneously enforcing a stringent security crackdown. Officials have accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the unrest and said unnamed “terrorists” had taken advantage of the demonstrations.
Human rights groups had earlier reported hundreds of deaths and said thousands of people had been arrested since the protests began.
The flow of information has been restricted by communications curbs, including widespread internet shutdowns in recent days.
