Iran’s state TV says 3,117 people have died in recent protests, with a US-based group producing the highest figure

Iran’s state TV on Wednesday released the first official death toll in the protests that began on December 28, saying 3,117 people had been killed, 2,427 civilians and security forces, but did not elaborate on the others.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll at at least 4,560. The agency has been accurate throughout the years in protests and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country to verify all reported deaths. The Associated Press could not independently verify the death toll.

State television carried statements from the Ministry of Interior and the Martyrs Foundation, an official organization that provides services to the families of those killed in war.

Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister issued a direct threat against the United States after the bloody attack on Tehran, warning the Islamic Republic that it will “hit back with everything we have if we are attacked again.”

The comments by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who saw his invitation to the World Economic Forum in Davos revoked over the killing, came as the US aircraft carrier group headed west to the Middle East from Asia. US warplanes and other equipment were seen moving to the Mideast after US troops deployed to the Caribbean saw troops seize Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

The highest death toll in decades

The death toll exceeds that of any other cycle of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the turmoil surrounding the 1979 revolution that created the Islamic Republic.

Although there have been no protests for days, there are fears that the prices will rise significantly as information gradually emerges in the country which is still under the internet shutdown imposed by the government since 8 January.

The first indication from authorities of the extent of casualties came on Saturday from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blamed the United States. The protests started due to economic pressure but quickly escalated to take a theocracy course.

A statement from the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday revealed that “terrorists used bullets that resulted in the death of 2,427 people and security forces.”

The Martyrs Foundation said Iran would go after what it called “terrorists” it said were imprisoned in Israel and “supported, equipped and armed” by the US.

About 26,500 people have been arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The officials’ comments have led to fears that some of those arrested will be executed in Iran, which has one of the world’s largest prisons.

That and the peaceful killing of protesters have been two red lines drawn by US President Donald Trump in the conflict.

Araghchi poses a threat to the column

Araghchi made the threat in an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal. The foreign minister argued that “the violent phase of the riots lasted less than 72 hours” and sought to blame armed protesters for the violence. Videos that emerged from Iran despite the internet shutdown appeared to show security forces repeatedly using live fire to target unarmed protesters, something Araghchi did not correct.

“Unlike the deterrence Iran demonstrated in June 2025, our powerful military has no hesitation in retaliating with everything we have if we are attacked again,” Araghchi wrote, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran in June. “This is not a threat, but the truth I feel I need to express clearly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I hate war.”

He added: “The conflict will in any case be serious and drag on far, far beyond the fictional timelines that Israel and its advocates are trying to sell to the White House. It will certainly engulf a wider region and affect ordinary people around the world.”

Araghchi’s comments may refer to Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The Islamic Republic relies on ballistic missiles to target Israel in the war and left a number of short-range missiles unused, which could be fired to target US bases and interests in the Persian Gulf. Already, there have been some restrictions on US ambassadors visiting bases in Kuwait and Qatar.

Eastern countries, especially diplomats from the Gulf Arab countries, urged Trump not to attack Iran after he threatened to take action in response to the killing of protesters. Last week, Iran closed its airspace, likely in anticipation of a strike.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, which was in the South China Sea in recent days, had passed through the Strait of Malacca, an important waterway that connects the sea with the Indian Ocean, on Tuesday, ship tracking data showed.

A US Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the aircraft carrier and three accompanying destroyers were heading west.

Although navy and other defense officials stopped short of saying the strike command group was headed for the Middle East, its current heading and location in the Indian Ocean means it is days away from moving into the region. Meanwhile, US military photos released in recent days showed F-15E Strike Eagles arriving in the Mideast and forces in the region deploying the HIMARS missile system, the type used with great success by Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.

Kurdish exiles say they are attacking Iranians in Iraq

The Kurdistan National Army, the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, said Iran had launched an attack on one of its bases near Irbil, about 320 kilometers north of Baghdad. It said one militant was killed, and released cellphone photos showing the fire in the early hours of the morning.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge the attack, which would be the first foreign operation Tehran has launched since the protests began.

A number of Kurdish dissidents or splinter groups – some with armed wings – have long found safe haven in Iraq’s Kurdish-controlled northern region, where their presence has been a point of contention between the central government in Baghdad and Tehran. PAK said it launched the attack in Iran as protests broke out, which was reported by official Iranian media.