Iranian demonstrators are experiencing their most lethal period to date as authorities carry out widespread killings and executions during an extensive suppression campaign that some are calling “genocide,” according to recent reports.
A report gathered by medical professionals on the ground and reviewed by the publication estimates that at least 16,500 protesters have been killed and over 330,000 wounded by security forces.
The document also characterized the violence as “complete carnage,” cautioning that the actual number of casualties could be significantly greater because of limited hospital access and the near-complete communications blackout.
The majority of victims are thought to be younger than 30, highlighting the severe impact on Iran’s youth as the government escalates its attempts to suppress opposition.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah, has acknowledged that “several thousand” people have died since the protests erupted on December 28.
During a televised speech, he accused the demonstrators, referring to them as “American foot-soldiers” and falsely alleging that they were equipped with foreign-made live ammunition.
Meanwhile, HRANA reported that as of the 22nd day of protests, confirmed data indicates 3,919 deaths, with another 8,949 fatalities being investigated, 2,109 people seriously wounded, and 24,669 individuals detained.
HRANA observed that the actual casualty count is probably much higher because of the internet blackout.
Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German ophthalmic surgeon and medical director of Munich MED, stated in The Sunday Times report that physicians throughout Iran are “in shock and tears,” even though they have experience handling war-related injuries.
“This represents an unprecedented degree of brutality,” Parasta said. He noted that Starlink devices smuggled into the country have served as the sole communication method since January 8.
Eyewitnesses who fled Iran also described head injuries, mass shootings and systematic blinding using pellet guns.
A former resident of Iran stated in the report that medical professionals documented over 800 eye removal surgeries in just one night in Tehran, with potentially more than 8,000 individuals blinded across the country.
“This is absolute darkness,” Parasta said.
In addition to the street violence, mass executions are occurring, according to Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Safavi informed the publication that 2,200 individuals were executed in 2025, while 153 have already been hanged during the first 18 days of January 2026, averaging over eight executions daily.
“Ali Khamenei is persisting with mass executions alongside the killing of young demonstrators,” Safavi said. “Based on our information, three hangings are now taking place every hour.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi disputed the reported death tolls in an interview with Bret Baier, asserting that fatalities numbered only in the hundreds and rejecting higher counts as “misinformation.”
President sharply condemned Khamenei over the weekend, describing him as a “sick man” and calling for new leadership in Iran.
In a conversation with Politico, Trump charged Khamenei with presiding over “the total devastation of the nation” and employing “unprecedented levels of violence,” stating that Iranian authorities must “cease the killing of innocent people.”