The Iranian anti-government protests have resulted in heavy casualties. Due to the government cutting off communication networks and the internet, information from within the country has been difficult to transmit abroad. On the 13th, US media reported that telephone communications have gradually been restored locally, and an Iranian source claimed that the protests have so far caused at least 12,000 to 20,000 deaths. British Foreign Secretary Cooper estimated that more than 2,000 people have been killed, and the actual death toll may be higher. US officials revealed that Israel provided an assessment to the US, estimating that at least 5,000 protesters have died.
The Iranian government cut off the entire nation’s internet and telephone services for the past five days, but domestic phone lines were restored on Tuesday, allowing some Iranians to make international calls. An insider in Iran told US media that activist groups have estimated the protest death toll to be at least 12,000, possibly as high as 20,000, based on reports from medical officials across the country. Security forces have visited private hospitals throughout Tehran, threatening staff to hand over the names and addresses of those who were injured in protests and received treatment.
British media cited an Iranian official as saying that about 2,000 people have died since the protests began on December 28. He attributed the violence to terrorists influenced by foreign forces, suggesting that some were bribed to incite unrest.
Online videos show the Kahrizak Forensic Center in the suburbs of Tehran filled with bodies placed in black plastic bags, about 400 in total, all of whom died in the protests. Many people were on-site to identify the corpses. Forensic workers recorded the wounds on the bodies, some of which were severe, including gunshot wounds, shotgun pellet holes, cuts, and other serious injuries.