Protests continue in Iran with 538 dead, activists say
LONDON – The death toll from mass protests in Iran has risen to 538, according to data compiled by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on Sunday.
The group says it has confirmed the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 members of the security forces. According to HRANA, the arrest of 10,600 people has also been recorded.
HRANA data is based on the work of activists inside and outside the country.
ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers. The Iranian government has not provided death tolls during the ongoing protests.
Video footage filmed by locals and posted on social media appeared to show thousands of people protesting in Tehran’s Punak Square on Saturday night despite efforts by government security forces to disperse the crowds. Elsewhere, videos showed large crowds gathering in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
HRANA said in its update on Saturday that it had registered 574 protest sites in 185 cities and all 31 provinces of the country. Saturday marked the 14th day of protests, HRANA said.
This still from images circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets of Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026.
AP
The Iranian government has not released detailed statistics on casualties among protesters. The state-aligned Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that 109 security personnel had been killed in the protests.
HRANA and other human rights groups reported widespread and sustained internet outages across the country as protests spread. Online monitoring group NetBlocks said early on Sunday that the “internet blackout” in Iran had exceeded 60 hours.
Protests have spread across the country since late December. The first marches took place in central Tehran, with participants demonstrating against rising inflation and the falling value of the national currency, the rial.
As the protests have spread, some have taken on a more explicitly anti-government tone, with some protesters chanting slogans including “student, be the voice of your people” and “death to the Islamic Republic.”
Tehran’s theocratic government, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, took steps to control the protests, with security forces reportedly using tear gas and live ammunition to disperse the gatherings.
Khamenei and senior Iranian officials have said they are willing to address protesters’ economic grievances, although they have also called the unrest fueled by “troublemakers” and sponsored by foreign nations, including the United States and Israel.
In comments carried by Iranian state media, President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday blamed foreign “terrorists” for the protests, but also addressed some of the issues that originally brought protesters to the streets.
“We are determined and have decided to solve the economic problems by any means possible,” Pezeshkian said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that “Israel is closely following what is happening in Iran” and the ongoing “freedom demonstrations” there.
“Israel supports their fight for freedom and strongly condemns the mass massacres of innocent civilians,” Netanyahu added. “We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be freed from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be loyal partners. in building a future of prosperity and peace for both peoples.
Meanwhile, dissident figures abroad have urged Iranians to take to the streets and overthrow the government. On Sunday, Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi addressed protesters in a message to X, saying: “Do not leave the streets. My heart goes out to you. I know I will soon be at your side.”
This image taken from images circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite intensifying repression as the Islamic Republic remains isolated from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
The Associated Press
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned Tehran against using force to quell the protests. On Saturday, Trump wrote on social media: “Iran is seeking FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. America is ready to help!!!”
An Israeli official told ABC News on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Saturday about events unfolding in Iran.
Meanwhile, Tehran has warned against outside intervention. On Sunday, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said the US military and Israel will be “legitimate targets” in the event of US attacks on Iran.
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Jordana Miller contributed to this report.
