TEHRAN, Iran, Jan. 12 — At least 544 people have been killed and more than 10,600 individuals arrested and transferred to prisons as nationwide protests in Iran entered their fifteenth day, according to a human rights group monitoring the unrest.
The protests, driven by soaring inflation, economic hardship and growing public anger over governance, have spread across the country, with demonstrations reported at 585 locations in 186 cities spanning all 31 provinces, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said in its latest update.
HRANA, a U.S.-registered non-profit organisation, said it has received a fresh wave of data and visual documentation over the past 24 hours, even as an internet shutdown — in place since the thirteenth day of protests — has severely restricted independent verification and the flow of information.
According to HRANA’s verified figures as of January 11, at least 483 protesters have been killed, along with 47 members of the military and law enforcement forces and one government-affiliated non-civilian. The fatalities also include five non-protesting civilians. Eight children under the age of 18 have been recorded among the dead, though they are not included in the main breakdown. In addition, 579 other reported deaths remain under investigation.
“Based on HRANA’s latest aggregated and verified data, the total number of confirmed fatalities has reached 544 so far,” the group said, reiterating that the actual toll could rise as more cases are verified.
Meanwhile, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that more Iranian security personnel have been killed during the current protests than in any previous wave of unrest. Citing media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), ISW reported that at least 114 regime security personnel from the Law Enforcement Command, Basij and IRGC have been killed since the protests began on December 28.
According to ISW, Esfahan province recorded the highest number of security force deaths at 30, followed by Ghazvin province with nine. The institute noted that the IRGC has been particularly active in western Iran, including Kermanshah and West Azerbaijan provinces, and warned that the true number of casualties is likely higher than officially reported.
ISW added that the current unrest has surpassed the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini movement, during which more than 70 regime security personnel were killed, making this the deadliest period of protests in Iran in recent years.
Amid the escalating violence, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran appears to be crossing a “red line” set by his administration in its treatment of protesters, prompting Washington to consider what he described as “very strong options.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the situation was being closely monitored at the highest levels of the U.S. government. “They’re starting to; it looks like,” he said when asked whether Iran had crossed the red line.
Referring to the Iranian leadership, Trump said, “There seem to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed. These are violent — if you call them leaders — I don’t know if they’re leaders or if they just rule through violence. But we’re looking at it very seriously. The military’s looking at it. We’re looking at some very strong options; we’ll make a determination.”
Trump also said Washington may be forced to take action against Iran even as he revealed that Tehran has reached out to the United States seeking negotiations.
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