Iranian authorities have verified that at least 5,000 people were killed during recent protests across the country, including around 500 members of the security forces, according to an Iranian official familiar with the matter. Speaking on Sunday on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, the official said the deaths were largely caused by what the state describes as “terrorists and armed rioters,” whom authorities accuse of killing innocent civilians amid the unrest.
The official said some of the most intense clashes and the highest number of fatalities were recorded in Iranian Kurdish regions in the northwest of the country. These areas have long been a focal point of unrest, with Kurdish separatist groups active there and previous protest movements marked by particularly violent flare-ups. According to the official, the concentration of deaths in these regions reflects the severity of confrontations between security forces and armed groups during the protests.
Despite the scale of the violence, the official said the overall death toll was unlikely to rise sharply, suggesting that authorities believe most fatalities have now been accounted for. The official also accused Israel and armed groups operating from abroad of supporting and equipping protesters, a claim consistent with Iran’s longstanding narrative that foreign enemies are behind domestic unrest.
Iranian leaders have frequently blamed protests and political instability on external actors, including Israel, which the Islamic Republic considers a principal adversary. Tensions between the two countries escalated earlier this year after Israel launched military strikes on Iran, deepening a cycle of accusations and retaliation that Iranian officials now link to the unrest on the streets.
Independent rights groups have reported significantly different figures. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said on Saturday it had confirmed 3,308 deaths related to the protests, with another 4,382 cases still under review. The group also reported that more than 24,000 people had been arrested since demonstrations erupted in late December.
The Norwegian-based Iranian Kurdish rights group Hengaw has likewise pointed to the northwest as a major flashpoint, saying some of the deadliest clashes occurred in Kurdish areas. While official and independent tallies differ, both accounts underscore the scale of violence and repression surrounding the protests, highlighting deep divisions over responsibility, accountability, and the true human cost of the unrest in Iran.
