Iranian Defense
Date of Event:
Jan 16, 2026
12,000 anti-regime protesters have been killed, Iranian opposition figures claim, as Tehran admits to '2,000 deaths' hours before hero demonstrator faces execution
- GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
Published: 14:17 GMT, 13 January 2026 | Updated: 21:50 GMT, 13 January 2026
Around 12,000 protestors have been killed by the Iranian regime, according to claims made by Iranian opposition website Iran International.
The figures are much higher than previous reports, with an Iranian official admitting to Reuters today that around 2,000 people have been killed in protests, blaming 'terrorists' for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
This comes as human rights groups have warned that the regime has imminent plans to execute a 26-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday during a protest in Fardis, Alborz Province.
Sources told the National Union for Democracy in Iran and Iran Human Rights that the government plans to execute Erfan Soltani on Wednesday, after he was sentenced to death for taking part in the demonstrations.
He has apparently been denied access to a lawyer.
Tehran's attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned on Saturday that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an 'enemy of God', punishable by a death-penalty charge.
The Editorial Board of Iran International released a statement saying: 'At least 12,000 people were killed in the largest massacre in contemporary Iranian history, mainly on the nights of January 8 and 9, and this massacre will not be buried in silence.'
The opposition website claims the numbers are based on multiple sources, with the killings carried out by the Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The opposition website claims the numbers are based on multiple sources, with the killings carried out by the Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces
Sources told the National Union for Democracy in Iran and Iran Human Rights that the government plans to execute 26-year-old Erfan Soltani (pictured above) on Wednesday
Graphic videos circulating online show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran's capital, south of Tehran
It says these killings were not 'unplanned' or the result of 'scattered clashes', adding that the death toll is the estimate held by Iran's own security authorities.
According to The Times Of Israel (TOA), the opposition website put together and cross-referenced information from insiders, including a source close to the Supreme National Security Council and the Iranian presidential office.
They also reportedly received information from sources in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, witness accounts and information from medical officials.
Iran International said: 'This data was examined and verified through multiple stages and in accordance with strict professional standards before being announced,' TOA reported.
Thousands have been injured while almost 10,700 people have been arrested since protests began late last year, over frustration at the collapse of the Iranian currency and economic mismanagement.
Witnesses have described how streets have turned into 'warzones', as security forces open fire on unarmed protestors with Kalashnikov-style assault rifles, and morgues fill up with body bags.
People are seen walking by bodies in body bags laid out in a large room, attempting to identify them
Witnesses have described how streets have turned into 'warzones'
'It's like a warzone, the streets are full of blood,' an anonymous Iranian told BBC Radio 4's Today
'They're taking away bodies in trucks, everyone is frightened tonight. They're carrying out a massacre here - it's officially a massacre.'
A young woman from Tehran said last Thursday felt like 'the day of judgement'.
'Even remote neighbourhoods of Tehran were packed with protesters - places you wouldn't believe,' she told the BBC.
'But on Friday, security forces only killed and killed and killed. Seeing it with my own eyes made me so unwell that I completely lost morale. Friday was a bloody day.'
She added: 'In war, both sides have weapons. Here, people only chant and get killed. It is a one-sided war.'
Graphic videos circulating online show dozens of bodies in a morgue on the outskirts of Iran's capital, south of Tehran.
People with knowledge of the facility and the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency say the video shows the Kahrizak Forensic Medicine Centre.
People are seen walking by bodies in body bags laid out in a large room, attempting to identify them.
Some of the bags were seen on mortuary trollies while others were lined up on the floor.
In one video, a mother screamed while begging for her motionless child to stand up from the table.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that Iran's theocratic regime was living out its 'last days'
US president Donald Trump has been briefed on a range of covert and military options to target Iran
Protesters attend a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government, in Zurich, Switzerland, January 13, 2026
A woman shows a sign during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in Rome, Italy, January 13, 2026
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that Iran's theocratic regime was living out its 'last days' as pressure grew on the government over violence against protestors.
'When a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished,' chancellor Merz told reporters in Bengaluru during a visit to India.
'I believe that we are now witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime.'
Iran's leaders have 'no legitimacy' as they were not elected by the people and the population was now 'rising up', Merz said, adding: 'I hope that there is a way to end this conflict peacefully.'
US president Donald Trump has been briefed on a range of covert and military options to target Iran, according to two Department of Defense officials.
The tools presented to Trump include long-range missile strikes, but Pentagon officials also presented other options, including cyber operations and psychological campaign responses, sources told CBS News.
The US president's national security team is understood to be holding a meeting at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the approaches, but it is unclear whether Trump himself will be present.
