Two armed members of Iranian police special forces stand behind a national flag placed on an armored military vehicle during a pro-government rally in downtown Tehran, Iran, January 12, 2026.
Null Photo | Null Photo | Getty Images
Human rights activists said Saturday that more than 3,000 people have been killed in nationwide protests in Iran, even as the country reported a “very slight increase” in internet activity after an eight-day power outage.
The US-based HRANA group announced 3,090 confirmed deaths, including 2,885 protesters, after residents said the crackdown appears to have largely quelled protests for now and state media reported more arrests.
The capital Tehran has been relatively quiet for the past four days, according to residents contacted by Reuters. Residents, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said there were drones flying over the city but there were no signs of large-scale protests on Thursday or Friday.
Residents of the northern city on the Caspian Sea said the streets there also appeared calm.
Protests erupted on December 28 over economic hardship and swelled into widespread demonstrations calling for an end to clerical rule in the Islamic republic, culminating in large-scale violence late last week.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in the country’s worst unrest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, rebels and Iranian officials say.
“According to statistics, there is a very slight increase in internet connections in #Iran this morning,” internet watchdog group NetBlocks posted on X after the 200-hour shutdown. Connections remained at about 2% of normal levels.
Several Iranians abroad said on social media that they were able to send messages to users inside Iran early Saturday morning.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to take “very strong action” if Iran executes protesters, and said Iranian leaders have halted mass hangings.
“I greatly respect the fact that all the hangings (over 800 of them) that were scheduled to take place yesterday were canceled by the Iranian leadership. Thank you!” he posted on social media.
Iran has not announced any plans for such executions or said it has called them off.
Indian students and pilgrims who returned from Iran said they were confined to their accommodations for most of their stay and had no contact with their families back home.
“All we heard was about the violent protests, and then one man jumped in front of our car with a burning nightstick and yelled something in the local language, anger visible in his eyes,” said Z. Syeda, a third-year medical student at a university in Tehran.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday that commercial flights are available and New Delhi will take steps to ensure the safety and welfare of Indian citizens.
