In a surprising admission, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly acknowledged that thousands of people were killed during the recent nationwide protests in the country. In a speech on Saturday, Khamenei stated that “thousands had been killed, some in an inhuman, savage manner”, and blamed the United States for the deaths.
The violent crackdown on the protests, which began on 28 December over economic issues but quickly turned into calls for the end of Khamenei’s rule, has claimed at least 3,090 lives according to the US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). However, some activist groups have reported a much higher death toll.
Khamenei described the protesters as being “linked to Israel and the US”, claiming they had “caused massive damage and killed several thousand”. He went on to label US President Donald Trump as “criminal” for the “casualties, damages and slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation”.
The protests have been met with a brutal crackdown by security forces, with videos of them shooting at demonstrators verified by both BBC Persian and BBC Verify. There has also been a near-total shutdown of the internet and communication services in Iran, making it extremely difficult to get clear information on the situation on the ground.
Despite the reduced reports of unrest in recent days, the overall connectivity in Iran remains at only around 2% of the ordinary level, according to cyber monitor NetBlocks. A woman in Shiraz, southwestern Iran, told BBC Persian that “security forces are still patrolling on motorbikes to keep the situation under control, but overall things have gone back to normal”.
Khamenei also claimed on social media that “America’s goal is to swallow Iran”, and the US State Department has warned that Iran would be met with “a very, very powerful force” if it launched any attacks on American bases. The US president had earlier said he had been told “the killing in Iran has stopped”, but added that he had not ruled out military action against the country.
As the situation in Iran remains tense and fluid, the admission by the Supreme Leader of the scale of the crackdown on the protests has only added to the international scrutiny and pressure on the Iranian government.
