Iran regime reportedly issued nationwide shoot-to-kill orders as protest death toll surges

More and much brutal grounds of the Iranian regime’s crackdown connected its ain radical is circulating online, arsenic the existent fig of those killed successful Iran’s protests remains hotly contested amid net blackouts and authorities intimidation. Estimates scope from the thousands confirmed dormant to the tens of thousands feared killed, according to activists, media reports, and aesculapian data.

Fatemeh Jamalpour, an Iranian writer who has covered each large protestation question implicit the past 2 decades, said the latest crackdown represents a turning constituent successful the regime’s usage of force. "The regime’s level of unit has accrued dramatically, and with the net crackdown, it is hard to cognize the existent standard of the killing."

"The caller happening I person seen successful these protests, thing we person not seen before, is that starting connected the nighttime of Jan. 8, the authorities issued shoot-to-kill orders to the IRGC, the Basij and the riot police, authorizing nonstop fire," Jamalpour told Fox News Digital.

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Iranian information forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing successful Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad contempt authorities claims. (NCRI)

"In erstwhile protests, military-grade weapons were utilized chiefly successful number provinces specified arsenic Kurdistan and Baluchestan," she added. "This clip they were utilized crossed the full country… Health Ministry officials told america they ran out-of-body bags for the dead."

The astir wide cited baseline comes from the Human Rights Activists News Agency, oregon HRANA, a U.S.-based radical that tracks deaths by sanction and location.

As of Jan. 25, HRANA reported 5,848 radical confirmed killed. Of these, 5,520 were protesters, 77 were children nether 18, 209 were government-affiliated forces, and 42 were non-protesters oregon civilians. The fig of deaths inactive nether probe stands astatine 17,091.

The authorities taxation gathering burned during Iran's protests, connected a thoroughfare successful Tehran, Iran, Jan. 19, 2026.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

The radical has emphasized that its confirmed tally reflects lone cases that could beryllium independently documented, and that its wide figures are expected to emergence arsenic accusation continues to emerge.

According to the Associated Press, Iranian authorities person offered lone 1 authoritative count, 3,117, and person not updated it publically successful the past 5 days. Authorities person not released names, locations, oregon documentation to enactment that figure.

Beyond quality rights tallies, a abstracted aesculapian moving insubstantial reviewed by Fox News Digital suggests the decease toll whitethorn beryllium acold higher.

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The study by Munich Med Group, authored by Prof. Dr. Amir-Mobarez Parasta, compiles hospital-registered fatalities from aggregate Iranian cities and applies what the writer describes arsenic a blimpish extrapolation exemplary to relationship for underreporting during the communications blackout.

Using that methodology, the insubstantial estimates a nationwide decease toll of astir 33,130 radical arsenic of Jan. 23. The writer stresses the fig is not a verified count, but a lower-bound estimation based connected partial aesculapian information and stated assumptions.

Iran International published its ain investigation, claiming it reviewed documents indicating that much than 36,500 radical were killed during 2 days of protests connected Jan. 8 and 9 alone. The outlet said the documents were provided by sources wrong Iran, but the claims person not been independently verified.

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Iranians stitchery portion blocking a thoroughfare during a protestation successful Tehran, Iran connected Jan. 9, 2026.   (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The wide spread betwixt confirmed counts and higher estimates reflects not lone the standard of violence, but besides the conditions nether which it occurred.

According to Jamalpour, contempt the net shutdown, doctors and aesculapian workers attempted to papers what they were seeing utilizing constricted outer connections.

"Many doctors and aesculapian unit tried to nonstop america their accounts and documentation done tiny Starlink connections," she said. "Medical workers accidental protesters were often changeable successful the caput and neck, with intent to kill. Many were killed by aggregate bullets. Some were changeable from down portion trying to flee."

Jamalpour said the victims she documented reflected a procreation the authorities appeared determined to crush. "Among the dormant are children and a 67-year-old man, but astir are young radical nether 30," she said. 

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Buses that were burned during Iran's protests, successful Tehran, Iran, Jan. 21, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

Jamalpour described the sidesplitting of Mehdi Khanmohammadi, a 67-year-old retired service colonel and pilot. "He was killed connected Friday, Jan. 9, successful Saadat Abad by 2 bullets," she said. "In a video, his girl stands implicit his lifeless assemblage and says, ‘Can you unfastened your eyes and aftermath up?’"

She said scenes similar that person near the state successful corporate mourning. "These days, Iranians are successful shock," Jamalpour said. "There is grief everywhere."

At the aforesaid time, she warned that the crackdown is acold from over. "Lawyers and quality rights organizations are profoundly acrophobic astir much than 20,000 protesters who person been detained and are astatine hazard of execution," she said.

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A pistillate walks up an overpass staircase beside a burned-out gathering damaged during caller protests successful Tehran connected Jan. 19, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

Yet adjacent amid the fear, Jamalpour said she hears thing caller wrong Iran. "In my conversations from wrong the country, I perceive people’s anticipation for Trump’s assistance successful freeing Iran," she said. "And a determination to alteration the regime, present intertwined with choler and grief."