Tehran says 2,000 killed in protests as US citizens told to leave now ahead of Trump military decision

The figure is significantly higher than previous estimates and comes amid growing concern over violence against protesters

Bel Trew Chief International Correspondent, Namita Singh, Alex Croft & James C. Reynolds

Around 2,000 people have died during a ruthless crackdown on protests sweeping Iran, officials have said, as Donald Trump considers military action against Tehran.

An Iranian official told Reuters that the figure includes security personnel, as the United Nations’ human rights chief Volker Turk expressed “horror” over violence unfolding in the country.

The figure has not been independently verified, but it is significantly higher than the toll of 646 reported by activists on Tuesday. An internet blackout has meant information from the country is scarce.

Trump has ordered fresh sanctions on countries dealing with Iran, declaring that any country doing business with Iran will face 25 per cent US tariffs "effective immediately".

Meanwhile, US citizens have been ordered to leave Iran immediately ahead of potential US military action.

Washington’s virtual embassy in Tehran said that Americans in the country should “leave Iran now” and form a plan "that does not rely on US government help". Those who cannot leave should seek a “secure location” and “keep a low profile”.

Iranian protester 'at risk of execution' just days after arrest

An Iranian protester faces the death penalty over his involvement in recent demonstrations, according to a report.

A source close to the family of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani told Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights that relatives have been informed he faces the death penalty on Wednesday, 14 January.

Mr Soltani was arrested on 8 January in Fardis, Karaj, according to the report. The source alleged that Mr Soltani did not have a trial and it was unclear what charges he faced.

EU to propose more sanctions on Iran

Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will “swiftly” propose more sanctions on Iran, while condemning the regime’s “excessive” violence against protesters.

The European Commission president said: "The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying. I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom.”

"Further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed."

How many people have been killed in the protests?

Verifiable figures on casualties have been hard to come by in this fast-moving situation, with the internet blackout still in place.

An Iranian official said today that around 2,000 people have been killed.

As a reminder, the regime has been warning civilians against joining in the demonstrations and blaming violence on ‘rioters’ provoked by foreign adversaries during its crackdown.

US-based HRANA’s latest report, for Monday, concluded that at least 646 people have been killed in 16 days of protest, including 505 protestors.

133 military and law enforcement personnel had also been killed, HRANA said, and seven non-protesting civilians. 579 reports of deaths were under review.

The internet blackout was “effectively eliminating independent access to information”, it caveated.

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group reported on Monday that at least 648 people have died. It estimated that the toll could be as high as 6,000.

Two thousand killed in Iran protests, official claims

An Iranian official has just claimed that around 2,000 people have been killed in the Iran protests.

The anonymous official told Reuters that “terrorists” were to blame for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.

Tehran maintains that fatal clashes between the government and anti-regime protesters have been stoked by foreign adversaries.

Is Donald Trump's brand of gunboat diplomacy working on Iran?

Donald Trump has made waves with his strongman approach to diplomacy in the last two weeks.

The takedown of longtime Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro at the start of the month showed he was serious about using force to achieve his objectives.

Allies subsequently took threats against Greenland at face value. Trump said he’d rather buy the territory than take it.

Now, he is said to be considering action against Iran.

Anonymous US officials have told the media that Trump is (again) weighing strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities among a range of options, including an anti-regime propaganda campaign and a cyber attack of sorts.

He also seems to be open to negotiating. On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said private messages from Tehran showed a willingness to engage in talks.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” she said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Iran has not responded directly but says it remains “open to diplomacy”.

Regime is living through its final days, says Merz

Germany’s Friedrich Merz said today he believes the Iranian regime is living through its “final days and weeks”.

The Chancellor told reporters: “If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it's effectively at the end. I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime.”

He added that he hopes there will be a way to “end this conflict peacefully”.

Merz is currently on a visit to India.

Iranians able to make calls out as internet blackout remains

Iranians were able to make calls out of Iran for the first time in days on Tuesday as the regime relaxed some of its restrictions.

People in Tehran told the Associated Press that they were able to make calls abroad but not receive them.

SMS text messaging was still down, and internet users could not access anything abroad.

There were local connections to certain government-approved websites, people said.

As a reminder, the regime assured on Monday that it had shut down the protest situation. Trump said that Iran was keen to negotiate after he threatened renewed strikes.

Pahlavi voices support for US intervention

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi has voiced support for a US intervention in Iran as the regime scales up its crackdown.

Pahlavi told CBS News on Monday: “We need action to be taken.”

“The best way to ensure that there will be less people killed in Iran is to intervene sooner, so this regime finally collapses and puts an end to all the problems that we are facing,” he said.