Protests erupted on the streets of Iran in December over the country’s ailing economy, but quickly shifted to oust the Mullah regime that has ruled with an iron fist since 1979.
Images of the protests show the capital Tehran painted with graffiti and reports say protesters have been chanting for the death of 86-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US-based activist agency, Human Rights Activists News Agency, said on Sunday, January 18 that it has verified at least 3,919 deaths during the protests, but fears the number could be significantly higher.
The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades.
Khamenei has blamed the deaths on US- and Israel-linked “terrorists and rioters,” which Iran’s judiciary on Sunday said constituted “Mohareb”. Mohareb carries the death penalty.
“A series of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which is among the most severe Islamic punishments,” Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, said at a press conference.
The focus last week fell on the planned execution of 26-year-old protester Erfan Soltani. His execution was not carried out and his family has confirmed he is alive.
The planned executions quickly caught the eye of Trump, who has warned Iran against using violence on protesters.
Trump and top Iranian officials have exchanged threats amid the ongoing protests, further escalating tensions between the countries.
While the US president had warned of a response to the killing of protesters he did not specify what action he would take.
Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters,” the United States “will come to their rescue.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned in a social media post on Sunday that its response “to any unjust aggression will be harsh and regrettable.” He added attack on Khamenei would be considered “tantamount to an all-out war against the nation.”
