Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

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Horrifying figures have surfaced regarding the number of people killed during the mass protests that swept Iran in December–January, sharply reigniting debate over the true scale of violence used to suppress nationwide unrest.

Azernews reports that Time magazine, citing senior officials from Iran’s Ministry of Health, claims the death toll from clashes that occurred on January 8 and 9 alone may have reached as many as 30,000 people. According to the publication, these two days marked one of the deadliest episodes of the protest movement, which had already spread across multiple provinces and involved thousands of demonstrators.

The report paints a grim picture of the aftermath of the violence. Hospitals were reportedly overwhelmed by the number of casualties, running out of body bags as morgues exceeded capacity. Witnesses and officials cited by Time stated that tractor-trailers and large trucks were used to transport bodies due to a severe shortage of ambulances, highlighting the scale of the crisis faced by medical facilities.

The protests, which erupted amid widespread public anger over economic hardship, political repression, and social restrictions, were met with a heavy security response. According to the report, security forces used lethal force against demonstrators, resulting in mass casualties within a very short timeframe.

These claims stand in stark contrast to Iran’s official narrative. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has stated that 3,117 people were killed during the unrest, asserting that 690 of them were identified as “terrorists.” Iranian authorities have consistently rejected higher casualty estimates, describing them as exaggerated or politically motivated.