Iran Protests Leave Over 500 Dead as Tensions Escalate: Rights Group

Tehran (TDI): Unrest across Iran has claimed more than 500 lives, a rights organization stated on Sunday, as Tehran warned it could target US military bases if President Donald Trump acts on threats to intervene on behalf of protesters.

The demonstrations, the largest since 2022, have put Iran’s clerical rulers under intense pressure. Trump has repeatedly suggested he could intervene if security forces use force against demonstrators.

US-based rights group HRANA reported that, based on information from activists inside and outside Iran, it had verified 490 deaths among protesters and 48 among security personnel. The group also reported more than 10,600 arrests, according to Reuters.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf cautioned the United States against “miscalculation.” Qalibaf, a former commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, said in parliament, “Let us be clear, in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target.”

The protests, which began on December 28 over soaring prices, quickly evolved into demonstrations against the government that has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of inciting the unrest. Police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said security forces have stepped up operations to confront what they call “rioters.”

Internet and telecommunications in Iran have been largely disrupted since Thursday, limiting independent reporting. Social media footage from Tehran on Saturday showed large crowds marching through streets at night, chanting and clapping. In Mashhad, videos showed fires, masked protesters, debris-strewn streets, and explosions, with smoke rising into the night sky.

State television aired images of dozens of body bags at the Tehran coroner’s office, describing the victims as casualties of “armed terrorists.”