The Number of Victims Killed in Protests in Iran Increased to 35 People and 1,200 Others Were Detained

Protests related to economic conditions in Iran. (Wikimedia Commons/Mehr News Agency/Sajjad Vesagh)

JAKARTA - The number of deaths due to violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said on Tuesday, as the demonstrations showed no signs of stopping.

The figure comes from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people had been detained in the protests, which have lasted for more than a week, ABC News reported (6/1).

It is said that 29 demonstrators, four children, and two members of the Iranian security forces have been killed.

Further explained, demonstrations have spread to more than 250 locations in 27 of Iran's 31 provinces.

The group, which relies on a network of activists inside Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in previous unrest.

Meanwhile, the semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, reported late on Monday that around 250 police officers and 45 members of the Basij volunteer force of the Revolutionary Guards had been injured in the demonstrations.

The rising death toll has brought with it the possibility of US intervention. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday that if Tehran "brutally kills peaceful protesters," the United States "will come to their rescue."

Although it is still unclear how and whether Trump will intervene, his comments triggered an immediate angry response, with officials within the theocratic regime threatening to target US forces in the Middle East.

The comments come as the US military on Saturday arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a longtime ally of Tehran.

On Sunday night, President Trump again said Iran would "hit very hard" if more demonstrators were killed during demonstrations triggered by economic difficulties entering their second week.

"We're watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they've been doing in the past, I think they're going to be hit very hard by the United States," he said aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, repeating an earlier threat.

The protests have been the largest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide demonstrations. However, the protests have not spread and are not as intense as the protests that occurred after Amini's death, who was detained for not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, as desired by the authorities.

Iran has faced a series of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after a 12-day war with Israel, its rial currency plummeted in December, reaching 1.4 million rials per US dollar. Protests began soon after.