Iran protests leave 2,000 dead, activists say, as Trump weighs military response

 Trump's national security team are expected to meet on Tuesday.



LONDON — The death toll from widespread anti-government protests in Iran has reached at least 2,000 as of Tuesday, according to figures released by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), following more than two weeks of unrest.

HRANA said at least 10,721 people have been arrested during demonstrations recorded in 606 locations across 187 cities in all 31 Iranian provinces. The group reported that nine children are among those killed.

The figures are based on reporting by activists inside and outside Iran and could not be independently verified by ABC News. Earlier on Tuesday, HRANA had put the death toll at 646. Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures.

State-aligned Iranian media, meanwhile, have reported that more than 100 members of the security forces have been killed. HRANA said 133 military and security personnel, as well as one prosecutor, were among those killed during the protests.

The unrest comes as U.S. President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Tehran, announcing Monday a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, after repeatedly warning against the use of force to suppress the demonstrations.

“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “This Order is final and conclusive.”

China, a key trading partner of Iran, criticized the move. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing’s position “is very clear — there are no winners in a tariff war,” adding that China would “firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”

She also said China supports Iran in maintaining national stability and opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs or the use or threat of force.

Trump’s national security team is expected to meet at the White House on Tuesday to discuss options for responding to the situation. One U.S. official told ABC News that possible measures include new sanctions targeting senior Iranian officials or the country’s energy and banking sectors.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that military options remain under consideration.

“The president is always keeping all of his options on the table, and air strikes would be one of the many options,” she said, adding that diplomacy remains Trump’s preferred approach.

The U.S. State Department also urged Americans to leave Iran, citing escalating protests and heightened security measures.

“U.S. citizens should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or Türkiye,” the department said in a security alert posted Monday.

Protests began in late December in downtown Tehran, driven initially by anger over rising inflation and the rapid decline of Iran’s currency, the rial. As demonstrations spread nationwide, some took on a more overtly anti-government character.

Iranian security forces have sought to quell the unrest, with reports of tear gas and live ammunition being used against protesters. A nationwide internet shutdown has been in effect for several days; monitoring group NetBlocks said Tuesday the outage had lasted at least 108 hours.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Tuesday he was “horrified by the mounting violence against protesters,” noting that hundreds had been killed and thousands arrested. He urged Iranian authorities to halt the repression and restore full internet and telecommunications access.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials have said they are willing to address protesters’ economic grievances, but have characterized the unrest as the work of foreign-backed “rioters” and “terrorists,” accusing the U.S. and Israel of interference.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday described the protests as a “terrorist war” in remarks to foreign diplomats in Tehran. State television the same day aired footage of pro-government rallies in several cities, including crowds waving Iranian flags in Tehran’s Revolution Square.

Exiled opposition figures have called for the government’s overthrow. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, speaking from the United States, appealed directly to Trump to support the protesters.

“I have called the people to the streets to fight for their freedom,” Pahlavi wrote on X. “Your threat to this criminal regime has kept the regime’s thugs at bay. But time is of the essence. Please be prepared to intervene to help the people of Iran.”


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