Iran protests leave hundreds dead; US considers airstrikes

According to human rights organizations, the deaths of hundreds of protesters in Iran were confirmed on Sunday, January 11. These reports began to leak out despite the strict communications blackout imposed by Iranian authorities to contain some of the largest unrest since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Meanwhile, the US is discussing the possibility of military strikes, writes The Washington Post.

Iranian security forces have reportedly sharply increased their use of lethal force.

Meanwhile, senior national security officials within the Trump administration have begun discussing possible retaliatory measures, including military strikes against Iran.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran reported that, based on eyewitness accounts and verified reports, hundreds of protesters have been killed since the internet shutdown on the evening of January 8. Human Rights Activists (based in the US) stated that the death toll since the protests began on December 28 has reached 490.

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A senior Western diplomat familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that hundreds of people have been killed in the past 48 hours. He noted that the protests have spread across a vast area, making an accurate death toll extremely difficult.

According to US officials, the Trump administration began reviewing military options for a response to the violent crackdown on protests on Saturday evening (January 10). Key security advisers were expected to brief President Donald Trump on the situation earlier in the week, a Washington source reported on January 11.

The president's closest diplomatic, military, and defense advisers are participating in the discussions. They are considering a wide range of measures, both military and diplomatic. This is still only the initial stage, the official clarified, and the president has not yet made a final decision.

"Iran is looking for freedom, perhaps like never before," Trump wrote on social media on Saturday. "The United States is ready to help!!!"

Possible options include the use of cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian targets, the introduction of new economic sanctions, and air strikes.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on January 11 that if attacked, Iran would retaliate with strikes against the United States, Israel, and international shipping lanes.

On the evening of January 11, aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to specify what specific measures were being considered. He merely said that Tehran had contacted him and offered to negotiate. "We may have to act before the meeting. The meeting is being prepared," the president said.

According to the same Western diplomat, Iran's supreme leader ordered a harsh crackdown on the protests after demonstrators, who started with economic demands, moved on to calls for regime change and the protests became more violent.

At first, the authorities appeared to be reluctant to use force, but when the unrest began to threaten the regime itself, they changed course, the source explained.

"For many participants, this is already a question of a change of power," he noted. "That's why the regime has resorted to a sharp escalation of violence."

According to him, the regime is still holding on, but only thanks to the large-scale use of force.

The internet shutdown and calls for general strikes have exacerbated an already severe economic crisis, with trade coming to a near standstill. Some of the diplomat's contacts among Iranian government officials are already preparing for the "day after," but there is no reliable information yet about a mass defection of officials to the protesters.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran, which works with activists inside the country and documents violations, reported eyewitness accounts: "Hospitals are overcrowded, blood supplies are running low, bodies are being piled up, and the death toll is rising by the hour."

Security forces have previously used metal bullets and rubber ammunition against demonstrators, aiming for their faces. Witnesses also reported the use of snipers, military rifles, and reconnaissance drones.

"A massacre is unfolding," the Center stated. "The world must intervene immediately to stop further loss of life." They warned that due to internet blockages, exact casualty figures are currently virtually impossible to confirm. BBC Persian, citing medical sources, reported that 110 bodies had been delivered to hospitals in Tehran and the northern city of Rasht. According to doctors, the people were brought in with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and eyes.

As reported by the state broadcaster on January 11, Iranian Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan reported that security forces had "intensified" their counteraction to the "rioters." He added that the "main organizers of the unrest" had been detained and would be punished according to the law.

Radan acknowledged the deaths but placed the blame on "coordinated provocateurs" rather than security forces. He cited as evidence the fact that many of the victims had knife or gunshot wounds inflicted at close range.

On January 11, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian portrayed the protests as the work of foreign enemies, who, he said, were training "terrorists." Without providing evidence, he accused them of a number of crimes.

An Iranian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that peaceful protests by citizens "with astonishing speed turned into armed attacks on police and ordinary people, as well as the burning of public buildings and services."

“So far, the ‘Syrianization’ of Iran has failed,” he concluded, referring to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December 2024.

The diplomat accused Israeli intelligence services of infiltrating protesters and inciting violence.

"This is essentially a continuation of the 12-day war," he concluded, referring to the June missile exchange between Iran, Israel, and the United States. He noted that "the government has no choice but to shut down the internet to disrupt the terrorist cells' communications."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at a cabinet meeting on January 11 that Israel is "closely following" the events. The people of Israel, he said, "admire the courage of Iranian citizens" and the country "supports their struggle for freedom."

Victoria Taylor, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran, believes that the absence of a US carrier strike group in the region will greatly complicate any attempts to strike Iranian military targets or protect US forces and Israeli interests from possible retaliation.

"The capability to strike targets is still there, but we don't have the kind of force we would typically have for an operation of this scale against Iran," said Taylor, now head of the Iraq program at the Atlantic Council.

In her view, even if the US strikes military targets, "there is no guarantee that this will prevent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or other regime representatives from seizing power. Even if the Supreme Leader is eliminated, another person from the same circle could take his place."

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Since the internet shutdown on the evening of January 8, information has been extremely scarce. Some residents are able to communicate using Starlink devices, which have recently been smuggled into the country. Videos that have appeared on social media in recent days indicate a very high death toll. Some videos show people in morgues trying to identify the bodies of their loved ones.

Protests in Iran began on December 28 after the sharp decline of the Iranian currency. The protests began with merchants, but the unrest quickly spread throughout the country, joined by students, workers, and other segments of the population.

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