Violent clashes broke out during a large protest in Turin, Italy, over the weekend as anarchist and leftists attacked police, prompting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to strongly condemn the unrest and vow a firm response.

Videos from the scene showed demonstrators dressed in black confronting police, with footage appearing to capture objects being thrown at officers and police lines forced backward. Images from Reuters showed riot police surrounded by red smoke during clashes linked to a march in support of the Askatasuna social center, which authorities recently evicted. Experts say the building had been occupied by far-left activists for decades.

Italian authorities said 108 security personnel were injured in the violence. Protesters hurled bottles, stones, homemade incendiary devices and smoke bombs, set fire to rubbish bins and a police armored vehicle, and used street furniture and uprooted lampposts as weapons, European media reported.

Commenting on the violence, U.S. and Europe analyst Matthew Tyrmand told Fox News Digital, "It’s not that dissimilar to what you see in the U.S. at times," he said. "Think about Seattle, or Cop City in Atlanta or Portland. It’s the same odd coalition of leftist groups, anarchists, pro-Palestinian groups and random individuals coming together."

INSIDE THE CHAOS OF BLOODY BERKELEY AS PROTESTERS GO WILD DURING TURNING POINT USA EVENT

Meloni responded forcefully, warning that violence against police and threats to public order would not be tolerated. In a post on X, the prime minister shared photos from a hospital visit with injured officers and described the confrontations in stark terms.

"This morning I went to the Le Molinette hospital in Turin to bring, on behalf of Italy, my solidarity to two of the officers who were injured in yesterday’s clashes," Meloni wrote, adding: "Against them: hammers, Molotov cocktails, nail-filled paper bombs, stones launched with catapults, blunt objects of every kind, and jammers to prevent the police from communicating."

Quoting one officer, Meloni added: "They were there to kill us." She went on to say: "These are not protesters. These are organized criminals. This is attempted murder."

Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, director of the program on extremism at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital that while the images were shocking, the violence itself was not unprecedented. "Torino in particular is a hotbed of anarchist and hardcore communist groups," Vidino said. "But we’ve had this in many other places in Italy, and it happens throughout Europe."

LAPD ARRESTS VIOLENT AGITATORS AFTER PROTESTS ERUPT OUTSIDE FEDERAL DETENTION CENTER IN LOS ANGELES

Vidino said the unrest followed what he called the recent "liberation" of Askatasuna, a building occupied for decades by far-left activists, which he described as a catalyst for a broader reaction.

"What you have here is a network of not just Italian but European anarchists and communists, with some pro-Palestinian groups," he said. "It’s a fairly well-established coalition of groups, and they routinely engage in this sort of violence. Antifa is also part of this coalition. It’s one of the umbrella movements in what happened in Torino."

Vidino also pointed to links between the groups involved and a previous attack on the offices of La Stampa, one of Italy’s most prominent newspapers, which he described as a turning point for authorities.

"Storming the offices of a major newspaper crossed a red line," Vidino said. 

ITALY’S MELONI REBUKES TRUMP REMARKS ON NATO’S ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN

On Monday, Meloni said she chaired a meeting at Palazzo Chigi to assess what she called "serious episodes of violence against the police forces" and to determine measures to guarantee public safety.

Tyrmand said the clashes reflect Italy’s long history of militant left-wing activism.

"Italy has a long history of hardcore leftist organizing," he said. "They’re cut from the same cloth. Marxist movements are truly of their genesis."

"When a right-wing leader like Meloni comes into power, they get especially ginned up," he added. "Violence is their modus operandi. I expect it will be quelled because Meloni is a tough figure."

He added that the tactics and alliances mirror those seen during U.S. street protests and encampments.

"It’s the same dynamics," Vidino said. "A permanent presence of these networks that mobilize quickly around symbolic causes."

As diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran gain momentum, Iran has intensified its rhetoric toward the region while continuing a violent crackdown at home, according to analysts and eyewitness accounts obtained by Fox News Digital.

On Sunday and Monday morning, Iran issued fresh warnings that any military strike on its territory would ignite a regional conflict, even as senior Iranian officials signaled a willingness to negotiate. Reuters reported Monday that Tehran is examining the possibility of renewed nuclear talks with the United States, with Turkey emerging as a potential venue and regional mediators, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, playing an active role, after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful a deal could be reached to avert military action against Iran.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to Axios. The publication also reported that Steve Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.

IRAN WILL RETALIATE 'WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE' IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS

The talks are expected to focus on Iran, following Zamir’s weekend visit to Washington, where he held a series of meetings with U.S. defense officials on the Islamic Republic.

Benny Sabti, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital this pattern is consistent with Tehran’s long-standing strategy.

"This is very typical behavior for the Iranian regime," Sabti said. He said Iran deliberately escalated threats days ago, warning that if it were attacked, no country in the Middle East would be safe. "They treat the region as if it is being held hostage," he said, adding that the tactic appears to have worked.

Sabti pointed to the list of mediators now involved. "Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, all of them went to the United States pushing for talks," he said. "They are trying to avoid being dragged into the Iranian threat."

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

According to Sabti, Tehran is also projecting mixed messages by design. "There are two voices coming out of Iran," he said. "On one side, the generals, the IRGC, the military, escalating threats. On the other side, the foreign minister and the president are talking about negotiations."

On Monday morning, Al Arabiya reported that Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Fars deleted a report that referenced approval for negotiations with the United States.

Sabti said that even Iran’s National Security Council reflects this dual messaging. He noted that a deputy official recently signaled Iran would not yet further advance its enriched uranium, while military officials simultaneously escalated rhetoric. "It is meant to confuse the enemy and to keep the entire Middle East under pressure," he said.

While Iran’s external posture oscillates between threats and diplomacy, reports from inside the country point to an intensifying crackdown on protesters.

Independent casualty estimates vary widely. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that, based on its latest aggregated data, 6,842 people had been confirmed killed by the end of the 36th day of protests. According to HRANA, 6,425 of those killed were recorded as protesters, while 146 were children under the age of 18. An additional 11,280 cases remain under review. HRANA and other opposition-linked groups have warned that the final toll could be significantly higher, with some estimates reaching as high as 30,000 deaths.

Fox News Digital received eyewitness accounts from individuals identified as part of the MEK’s Resistance Units network inside Iran.

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS

One eyewitness from Eslamshahr, a southern district of Tehran, said a group of 27 protesters was fired upon, killing 10. The source said a cousin was killed, another cousin, Melika, 20, was mutilated, and the bodies were buried in a nearby park.

In Lahijan, in northern Gilan Province, an eyewitness said 30 protesters were shot outside the governor’s office on Jan. 8, with seven later dying in the hospital. In Shiraz, a 16-year-old said he was shot with pellet guns in the lips, eye and throat and is now experiencing vision problems.

Another eyewitness from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran said that since Jan. 18, martial law has been imposed, with residents barred from the streets after 4 p.m. local time. The source claimed security forces entered hospitals to remove or kill wounded protesters and that families were allegedly told to pay 10 billion rials, roughly $8,000, to recover the bodies of their children.

Sabti said the renewed diplomacy has also deepened public disillusionment inside Iran.

"Many protesters are very disappointed," he said. "When Trump said on Jan. 13 that 'help is on its way,' they believed it. They were very emotional about it. After 47 years, an American president was speaking in support of the Iranian people. But now they interpret his words as helping the regime, not the protesters. The disappointment is very deep."

Reuters contributed to this report.

Iran’s regime released staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attempt to show strength and boost a military under strain, according to opposition groups operating outside the country.

The photographs, published by Iranian state media Jan. 31, marked Khamenei’s first public appearance in weeks and showed him praying at the tomb of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as regime officials issued new threats against the U.S. and Europe.

Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said the images were aimed less at reassuring the public than at boosting morale among the regime’s weakening security forces.

"The images of Ali Khamenei were pure propaganda," Safavi told Fox News Digital. "He wanted to show that he is not afraid of dying, but at the same time he is desperately trying to boost the morale of his demoralized forces."

TRUMP SAYS IRAN CALLED 'NUMEROUS' TIMES TO MAKE DEAL AS CARRIER ENTERS MIDDLE EAST WATERS

Safavi said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remains the backbone of the regime’s power but is showing signs of strain after weeks of suppressing nationwide protests.

"These images are intended to project strength and shore up the repressive forces," he said. "But underneath, the regime is reeling from the reality that its criminal clique cannot break the will of the people and Khamenei knows the situation will never return to what it was before Dec. 28."

The release of the photos coincided with calls from the European Parliament to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

HUNDREDS RALLY OUTSIDE IRANIAN UN AMBASSADOR'S FIFTH AVENUE RESIDENCE CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE

"The IRGC is the backbone of this regime," Safavi said. "Its disintegration can only occur after a fundamental shift in the balance of forces and with the presence of organized resistance on the ground. Only then do defections at lower levels of the military become meaningful."

Tehran reacted angrily to the European move with Iranian lawmakers appearing in IRGC uniforms in a highly choreographed show of solidarity, according to reports.

A banner reading, "The Revolutionary Guard is the largest anti-terrorism organization in the world," was displayed at the speaker’s podium, and the IRGC flag was prominently featured, according to the Times of Israel.

US MILITARY WARNS IRAN IT WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY 'UNSAFE' ACTIONS AHEAD OF LIVE-FIRE DRILLS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

"We saw the same thing when the U.S. designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019," Safavi said.

"More than half of these lawmakers are former IRGC commanders," he added. "The IRGC dominates Iran’s economy and permeates the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as educational institutions."

After the U.S. dispatched a naval strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, Khamenei also warned Sunday in comments reported by Iranian state media that any military action would trigger a wider regional conflict.

"We are not the ones who start a war," Khamenei said . "But if America attacks or harms Iran, the Iranian nation will deliver a strong blow — and any war started by America will spread across the region," he said per reports.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program, "we’ll find out" whether Khamenei’s warning proves correct.

"Doing business with Iran means doing business with the IRGC," Safavi said. "The IRGC is the regime — even the clerics."

Hundreds of Danish protesters, many of whom are military veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, staged a demonstration in Copenhagen on Saturday outside the U.S. Embassy.

The group was protesting President Donald Trump’s push that the U.S. acquire Greenland from Denmark and his remarks at Davos that NATO forces "stayed a little back" when they fought alongside the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"They have a feeling that they’ve been betrayed," Carsten Rasmussen, president of the Danish Veterans Association, told The Associated Press. "And of course, they are angered by this. They deployed. They fought with the Americans. They fought with the Brits. They fought together. They bled together. And as you have heard here in front of the American embassy today, 52 of them never returned."

Forty-four Danish soldiers died in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll for a NATO country in the war, and eight more died in Iraq. The population of Denmark as of 2025 was just over 6 million. 

EUROPEAN LEADERS WARN TRUMP TARIFFS OVER GREENLAND 'RISK A DANGEROUS DOWNWARD SPIRAL'

During the protest, demonstrators laid 52 flags with the names of the fallen outside the embassy.

"Behind all these flags, there's a guy, there's a soldier, there's a young man," Lt. Col. Niels Christian Koefoed, a Dane who served in Afghanistan, told Reuters.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s remarks about staying a "little back" ""insulting and frankly appalling," to which Trump wrote on Truth Social: "The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!"

He didn’t, however, acknowledge the sacrifices of other NATO troops.

"Denmark has always stood side by side with the USA — and we have showed up in the world’s crisis zones when the USA has asked us to," Danish Veterans & Veteran Support, the group that organized the protest, said in a statement. "We feel let down and ridiculed by the Trump Administration, which is deliberately disregarding Denmark’s combat side by side with the USA."

PRINCE HARRY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP OVER NATO CRITICISM: 'I LOST FRIENDS’ IN AFGHANISTAN 

The group added, "Words cannot describe how much it hurts us that Denmark’s contributions and sacrifices in the fight for democracy, peace and freedom are being forgotten in the White House."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

On Greenland earlier this month, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told Fox News Digital that NATO has a "tendency to overreact."

Whitaker said Greenland’s importance has been clear for years because, as the ice melts, it reshapes the Arctic and opens new routes. "The security of the high north, which I’ve talked about a lot before this ever happened, is the most important issue," he said. "As the ice thaws and as routes open up in the Arctic, Arctic security, and therefore the security of Greenland, which is the northern flank of the continental United States, is crucial."

He stressed that Greenland’s location makes it central to U.S. defense planning. "If you think about Greenland as part of the access to the naval assets, that monitoring and awareness and fortification of that part of the Western Hemisphere is crucial for the long-term security of the United States," Whitaker said.

He said recent diplomacy shows the issue can be addressed without escalation. "I know that a very successful meeting happened between the Danes and Greenland and Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, so I think it’s going to be constructive." 

The European Union (EU) moved Thursday to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, with Germany pledging to turn the decision into a legally binding listing as fast as possible.

The move also came alongside a new round of EU sanctions targeting Iranian officials and entities amid the violent crackdown on protests and mass killings that have swept across the country since Dec. 28.

Tehran’s military support for Russia was also included in the measures.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the designation and the sanctions package Thursday.

ARMED MILITIAS FIRE HEAVY MACHINE GUNS THROUGH TEHRAN STREETS IN DEADLY NIGHT ATTACKS

"I welcome the political agreement on new sanctions against the murderous Iranian regime," von der Leyen wrote in a post on X. "And on the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. This was long overdue."

She added: "‘Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood. Europe stands with the people of Iran in their brave fight for freedom."

Meanwhile, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the EU would move quickly to implement the designation, calling it a strong political signal that reflected the scale of repression inside Iran.

"The next step will be the rapid implementation towards a legally binding listing," Wadephul warned, adding that the EU stood "side by side with the Iranian people" against repression.

Wadephul accused the IRGC and its auxiliary forces of meeting protesters with extreme violence, carrying out executions, and having a destabilizing role across the Middle East.

As of Thursday, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported 6,373 confirmed fatalities, with an additional 17,091 deaths under review.

IRANIAN REGIME ELITES ALLEGEDLY MOVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OUT OF COUNTRY AMID SANCTIONS

The organization also cited continued communication restrictions, limited internet restoration, and ongoing economic and social fallout, saying arrests and security pressure had entered what it described as a "post-crackdown phase."

According to Reuters, EU foreign ministers also approved new human rights sanctions targeting Iranian "individuals and entities" linked to the suppression of protests.

Those sanctioned include Iran’s interior minister, senior IRGC commanders, police chiefs, judges from revolutionary courts, and cyber officials involved in censorship and surveillance.

Some will also be sanctioned for "providing support" to Russia, Reuters noted.

LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE 'ANY MEANS NECESSARY' TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS

The U.S. designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in April 2019. Canada followed in June 2024. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have also designated the IRGC as a terrorist group.

Advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) welcomed the EU’s move and urged swift implementation, calling on the U.K. to follow suit.

"UANI applauds the EU for announcing its intention to designate the IRGC, the Islamic Republic’s ideological army, as the terrorists that they are," the group said in a statement."We now urge the United Kingdom to proscribe the IRGC, following the lead of the EU, the United States, Canada, and Australia. The IRGC must be denied the ability to operate with impunity abroad."

Reacting to the news, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the EU's designation.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is one of the strongest and most effective anti-terrorism forces in the world; only those who stand on the side of the terrorists themselves could deny the IRGC's record in the fight against ISIS terrorism," he said in a post on X.

Sen. Ted Cruz called for the U.S. to arm Iranian protesters Tuesday as unrest continues inside the nation and Iran-backed militias issued threats against Washington.

"We should be arming the protesters in Iran. NOW," Cruz wrote in a post on X.

"For the Iranian people to overthrow the Ayatollah — a tyrant who routinely chants ‘death to America’ — would make America much, much safer," the Texas Republican added.

Cruz was responding to another post from Tehran Bureau, which cited a source inside Iran detailing what was described as a rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground as security forces continued to crack down on demonstrations.

IRAN WILL RETALIATE 'WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE' IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS

"From trusted source in Tehran: Tell all of your friends [abroad] — everyone you know: there is absolutely nothing else we can do here inside Iran," the post read.

"They are killing people in such ways, they’ve descended upon people so brutally, they’re attacking us in such ways... We’ve lost so many lives that no one dares go out anymore. They shoot directly with bullets. They kill outright. And even after killing, they come and behead you, and do countless other violent things to you," it continued.

"Going out into the streets is literally suicide. It’s not about bravery anymore. It’s madness. You go out and they shoot you point-blank. They don’t even ask why you came. They just kill you," the post continued. "There is absolutely no way for us to gather unless we had weapons, unless we were armed like them. Otherwise they have weapons everywhere."

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, activist groups estimate that more than 6,000 people have been killed in Iran, with additional cases still under review.

The protests began in late December amid widespread anger over economic hardship, political repression and corruption, according to reports.

IRAN REGIME REPORTEDLY ISSUED NATIONWIDE SHOOT-TO-KILL ORDERS AS PROTEST DEATH TOLL SURGES

Cruz’s post came after armed militias aligned with Iran warned the U.S. they would retaliate against any American attack on the Islamic Republic, as the Trump administration moved forces into the region.

Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq said it was prepared for "total war" if the U.S. attacked Iran, according to The Associated Press.

Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the group’s leader, said the "enemies" of the Islamic Republic would face "the bitterest forms of death."

IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER ACKNOWLEDGES THOUSANDS KILLED AS TRUMP CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP: REPORTS

"You will taste every form of deadly suffering, nothing of you will remain in our region, and we will strike terror in your hearts," the statement read.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthis also threatened to restart attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, releasing a video Monday showing a ship engulfed in flames, captioned: "Soon," The Associated Press reported.

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, President Donald Trump said Iran appeared to be seeking negotiations with the U.S. amid the growing military buildup, telling Axios, "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk."

The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East on Monday as unrest inside Iran continued to escalate.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sen. Ted Cruz for comment.

An Iranian amateur boxer has been shot and killed by Iranian security forces during ongoing anti-regime protests.

Sepehr Ebrahimi joined protests near Tehran and died amid ongoing demonstrations driven by anger over political repression, economic hardship, and human rights violations.

Ebrahimi’s death also renewed attention on the case of another Iranian boxer, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, who is currently on death row.

Vafaei Sani, now 30, is a champion boxer who was arrested in 2020 for participating in nationwide pro-democracy protests.

Iranian authorities accused him of supporting the opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).

IRAN LOCKS NATION INTO ‘DARKER’ DIGITAL BLACKOUT, VIEWING INTERNET AS AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’

Meanwhile, harrowing footage has also been circulating online showing the distraught father of another youth, Sepehr Shekari who was also shot by security forces.

The video shows Shekari's father desperately searching among piles of bodies covered with black body bags, crying out for his missing son.

"Sepehr was shot and killed in Tehran," Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

Video shared on social media, which was viewed by Fox News Digital, shows Shekari's father calling out his son’s name as he searches a warehouse filled with unidentified bodies following a violent crackdown on demonstrators.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

"My dear Sepehr, where are you?" the father can be heard crying. At one point, he shouts, "Damn Khamenei. They have killed the children of so many people. You killed so many young people!"

According to Safavi, Ebrahimi and Shekari were shot with live ammunition by Iran’s security forces during protests against the clerical regime that began Dec. 28.

Shekari's family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage.

Maryam Rajavi, NCRI president-elect also shared a post on X dedicated to parents of those murdered by the regime. "You are not alone," she wrote, "Every heart beats with you," she added.

IRANIAN SOLDIER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR REFUSING TO FIRE ON PROTESTERS DURING NATIONWIDE UNREST

Rights organizations also continue to highlight the plight of Vafaei Sani who has spent five years in prison, during which he has reportedly been tortured and held in prolonged solitary confinement.

In 2023, more than 100 human rights experts and international organizations sent a letter to U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, urging urgent intervention to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution.

His death sentence echoes the case of Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari, who was executed in September 2020.

The death of Ebrahimi and others comes as Iran’s protest-related death toll continues to rise.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 6,126 people have been killed since the start of the latest wave of protests.

HRANA also reported that 214 government-affiliated forces and 49 civilians have also been killed, while more than 17,000 deaths remain under investigation.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to correct the identity of the individual described as an amateur boxer killed during unrest in Iran following confusion amid the country's internet blackout.

More and more brutal evidence of the Iranian regime’s crackdown on its own people is circulating online, as the true number of those killed in Iran’s protests remains hotly contested amid internet blackouts and state intimidation. Estimates range from the thousands confirmed dead to the tens of thousands feared killed, according to activists, media reports and medical data.

Fatemeh Jamalpour, an Iranian journalist who has covered every major protest movement over the past two decades, said the latest crackdown represents a turning point in the regime’s use of force. "The regime’s level of violence has increased dramatically, and with the internet crackdown, it is difficult to know the true scale of the killing."

"The new thing I have seen in these protests, something we have not seen before, is that starting on the night of January 8, the regime issued shoot-to-kill orders to the IRGC, the Basij and the riot police, authorizing direct fire," Jamalpour told Fox News Digital.

INSIDE TRUMP’S IRAN WARNING — AND THE UNEXPECTED PAUSE THAT FOLLOWED

"In previous protests, military-grade weapons were used mainly in minority provinces such as Kurdistan and Baluchestan," she added. "This time they were used across the entire country… Health Ministry officials told us they ran out-of-body bags for the dead."

The most widely cited baseline comes from the Human Rights Activists News Agency, or HRANA, a U.S.-based group that tracks deaths by name and location.

As of January 25, HRANA reported 5,848 people confirmed killed. Of these, 5,520 were protesters, 77 were children under 18, 209 were government-affiliated forces and 42 were non-protesters or civilians. The number of deaths still under investigation stands at 17,091.

The group has emphasized that its confirmed tally reflects only cases that could be independently documented, and that its overall figures are expected to rise as information continues to emerge.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian authorities have offered only one official count, 3,117, and have not updated it publicly in the last five days. Authorities have not released names, locations, or documentation to support that figure.

Beyond human rights tallies, a separate medical working paper reviewed by Fox News Digital suggests the death toll may be far higher.

US AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN AT EMERGENCY UN MEETING THAT TRUMP IS 'MAN OF ACTION,' 'ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE'

The report by Munich Med Group, authored by professor Dr. Amir-Mobarez Parasta, compiles hospital-registered fatalities from multiple Iranian cities and applies what the author describes as a conservative extrapolation model to account for underreporting during the communications blackout.

Using that methodology, the paper estimates a nationwide death toll of approximately 33,130 people as of January 23. The author stresses the figure is not a verified count, but a lower-bound estimate based on partial medical data and stated assumptions.

Iran International published its own investigation, claiming it reviewed documents indicating that more than 36,500 people were killed during two days of protests on January 8 and 9 alone. The outlet said the documents were provided by sources inside Iran, but the claims have not been independently verified.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

The wide gap between confirmed counts and higher estimates reflects not only the scale of violence, but also the conditions under which it occurred.

According to Jamalpour, despite the internet shutdown, doctors and medical workers attempted to document what they were seeing using limited satellite connections.

"Many doctors and medical staff tried to send us their accounts and documentation through small Starlink connections," she said. "Medical workers say protesters were often shot in the head and neck, with intent to kill. Many were killed by multiple bullets. Some were shot from behind while trying to flee."

Jamalpour said the victims she documented reflected a generation the regime appeared determined to crush. "Among the dead are children and a 67-year-old man, but most are young people under 30," she said. 

TRUMP THREATENS IRAN WITH CRUSHING RESPONSE AS TEHRAN DENIES HALTING PROTEST EXECUTIONS

Jamalpour described the killing of Mehdi Khanmohammadi, a 67-year-old retired army colonel and pilot. "He was killed on Friday, January 9, in Saadat Abad by two bullets," she said. "In a video, his daughter stands over his lifeless body and says, ‘Can you open your eyes and wake up?’"

She said scenes like that have left the country in collective mourning. "These days, Iranians are in shock," Jamalpour said. "There is grief everywhere."

At the same time, she warned that the crackdown is far from over. "Lawyers and human rights organizations are deeply concerned about more than 20,000 protesters who have been detained and are at risk of execution," she said.

Yet even amid the fear, Jamalpour said she hears something new inside Iran. "In my conversations from inside the country, I hear people’s hope for Trump’s help in freeing Iran," she said. "And a determination to change the regime, now intertwined with anger and grief."

The daughter of a senior Iranian official who publicly criticized U.S. involvement against President Donald Trump regarding intervening in Iran’s protests has reportedly been fired from her teaching post at a top U.S. college.

The Emory Wheel, Emory University's news outlet, reported the School of Medicine Dean announced in an email Jan. 24 that Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani was no longer a university employee.  

Ardeshir-Larijani was an assistant professor in the department of hematology and medical oncology at Emory's medical school.

"The announcement follows a Jan. 19 protest where Iranian-American demonstrators gathered outside Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute to oppose the employment of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani by the University," the outlet said.

IRAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD COMMANDER SAYS REGIME HAS 'FINGER ON THE TRIGGER' AS US WARSHIPS HEAD TO MIDDLE EAST

Ardeshir-Larijani's Emory faculty page and her Emory Healthcare pages were also no longer visible online.

The nonprofit Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) claimed that Ardeshir-Larijani had lived and worked in the U.S. for several years.

The group also cited the professional profile on Emory Healthcare’s official website as showing a listing for a woman called Ardeshir-Larijani who is a U.S.-trained hematologist-oncologist and practicing in Atlanta.

IRAN IN SHUTDOWN AS PROTESTERS STORM GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, CROWDS CHANT 'DEATH TO KHAMENEI'

The claims had first drawn attention amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran following the outbreak of protests and reports of deaths during an intense crackdown from Dec. 28.

Trump warned of potential U.S. action in response.

In a Jan. 2 Truth Social post, the president warned that if Iran "violently kills peaceful protesters" the U.S. "will come to their rescue," saying "we are locked and loaded and ready to go." 

Trump’s remarks prompted warnings from senior Iranian officials, who said any American interference would cross a "red line."

Ali Larijani had posted on X that U.S. interference in Iran’s internal affairs would "[destabilize] the entire region" and "[destroy] American interests."

IRAN CRACKDOWN RATTLES MIDDLE EAST AS ANALYSTS WEIGH US OPTIONS SHORT OF MILITARY INTERVENTION

"The American people must know that Trump is the one who started this adventure," he wrote, "and they should pay attention to the safety of their soldiers."

AAIRIA responded by urging U.S. authorities to review the immigration and visa status of Ardeshir-Larijani and her husband.

The group urged officials to determine whether continued residence in the U.S. aligns with U.S. law, national security considerations and principles of accountability and human rights, in a statement shared online.

IRANIAN PROTESTERS CLASH WITH SECURITY FORCES AS TEAR GAS FILLS TEHRAN STREETS AMID NATIONWIDE UNREST

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., also called on Emory to dismiss Ardeshir-Larijani and the state’s medical board to revoke her medical license.

Ardeshir-Larijani’s dismissal also arrived two weeks after sanctions had been placed on her father by the Treasury Department, who said that he "is responsible for coordinating the response to the protests on behalf of the Supreme Leader of Iran and has publicly called for Iranian security forces to use force to repress peaceful protesters," and has publicly defended the regime’s actions.

Ali Larijani has portrayed the U.S. as a hostile power in the past.

A 2018 report by The Washington Times highlighted what critics described as a double standard among Iranian officials whose relatives live or work in Western countries.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment and Emory University for comment.

Iran’s top prosecutor pushed back Friday on a recent announcement from President Donald Trump that Iran canceled more than 800 executions, alleging that the president’s remarks are "completely false." 

Trump wrote on Truth Social last week, "I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!" 

However, Iran’s top prosecutor, Mohammad Movahedi, said Friday that, "This claim is completely false; no such number exists, nor has the judiciary made any such decision," according to The Associated Press. 

"We have a separation of powers, the responsibilities of each institution are clearly defined, and we do not, under any circumstances, take instructions from foreign powers," Movahedi reportedly added in comments published by the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency.

TRUMP CREDITS HALTED IRAN EXECUTIONS FOR DELAYING MILITARY STRIKES

When asked for reaction Friday, a White House official told Fox News Digital that Trump is monitoring the situation in Iran very seriously and that all options remain available if the regime in Tehran executes protesters. 

The official added that following Trump’s warnings to Iran, demonstrators who were set to be sentenced to death there were not. 

The White House official also said Trump believes this is good news and is hoping the trend continues.

IRANIAN SOLDIER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR REFUSING TO FIRE ON PROTESTERS DURING NATIONWIDE UNREST

"What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week. 

As of Friday, there have been 5,032 deaths during the crackdown against anti-government protesters in Iran, the AP reported, citing the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Iran’s government offered its first death toll Wednesday, saying 3,117 people had been killed. It claimed that 2,427 of the dead in the demonstrations that began Dec. 28 were civilians and security forces, with the rest being "terrorists." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Reports have emerged from eyewitnesses in Iran alleging sexual assaults on teenagers held in custody, as well as authorities forcing families of those protesters killed to pay as much as 10 billion rials to recover their bodies.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the "barbarity continues" across the nation, with prison detainees allegedly being killed and their bodies burned.

The reports come as Iran’s government claimed it had successfully crushed weeks of unrest that swept the country.

Beginning Dec. 28, the protests erupted amid deep public anger over political repression, economic hardship and state violence before rapidly expanding nationwide.

LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: 'THIS REGIME MUST FALL'

"The sedition is over now," Iran’s Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi said, according to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency.

"And we must be grateful, as always, to the people who extinguished this sedition by being in the field in a timely manner," he added, according to The New York Times.

The regime's claims emerged on day 25 of the protests with the number of confirmed fatalities reaching 4,902, and the number of deaths still under review standing at 9,387.  

The total number of arrests has risen to 26,541, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.

IRAN STATE TV HACKED TO SHOW EXILED CROWN PRINCE PAHLAVI

The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) also said it received information indicating that some families were forced to pay sums of up to 10 billion rials to recover the bodies of their relatives.

In many cases, funeral ceremonies were held under heavy security control in the hometowns of those killed. 

Some families were reportedly subjected to threats and pressure to falsely attribute responsibility for the killings to protesters.

KHRN further said that two protesters, including a 16-year-old, said they were sexually assaulted by Iranian security forces who detained them in Kermanshah, according to reports.

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Meanwhile, NCRI’s Ali Safavi said eyewitnesses reported that "several young women and men were forced to undress, so the military could see whether they had pellet wounds."

"There has been barbarity with people who were detained. When they were killed, their bodies were burned," he added.

Safavi also said clashes continued in multiple cities Tuesday night, including "Kermanshah where protesters and armed units of the IRGC fought in parts of the city."

"There was the same in Rasht and Mashhad where the people and the regime will not return to the status quo even if the uprisings have slowed down. This is because of the blood of thousands of martyrs on their hands."

"The regime is still in power, and it won’t abandon brutal and bloody suppression so there is no pathway to a velvet revolution in Iran."

"The shoes and sneakers seen left along the sidewalks remind us of the 30,000 MEK members and Iranian prisoners who were hanged during the 1988 massacre based on a fatwa by Khomeini," Safavi added.

Iran warned it would respond "with everything we have" to any new U.S. military attack, accusing Washington and its allies of exploiting recent unrest to push the region toward a wider war.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said protests in Iran began peacefully before being hijacked by "foreign and domestic terrorist actors," prompting a violent crackdown and near-total internet and communications shutdown. 

He blamed U.S. rhetoric for escalating the bloodshed, arguing that warnings from President Donald Trump created incentives for mass violence. 

While insisting Iran prefers diplomacy, Araghchi cautioned that future attacks would trigger a far more forceful response and risk igniting a prolonged regional conflict.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

"As Iranians grieve their loved ones and rebuild what has been destroyed, another threat looms: the final failure of diplomacy. Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack," he said.

"Iran’s message to President Trump is clear: The U.S. has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack—and, most recently, it clearly fanned a major terrorist operation—all of which failed. It is time to think differently. Try respect, which will allow us to advance farther than one may believe."

Trump is weighing military action against Tehran, with U.S. assets moving into the region amid international scrutiny over a crackdown that has killed thousands of anti-government protesters.

KEANE WARNS IRAN'S LEADERSHIP TO TAKE TRUMP 'AT HIS WORD' AS MILITARY ASSETS MOVE INTO REGION

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which tracks human rights violations in Iran, said on Tuesday that nationwide protests continued into the 24th day.

The group's aggregated figures showed 629 recorded protests, the arrest of at least 26,314 people and the confirmed deaths of 4,519 individuals.

HRANA said 4,251 of those killed were protesters, including 33 children under the age of 18.

The United Nations Human Rights Council announced it will hold a special session to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran on Friday.

Iranian journalist Elaheh Mohammadi said on X that for the past day or two, VPN access has worked only sporadically for 30 minutes to an hour at a time, allowing brief internet connections to let people know they are still alive. 

"The city smells of death. In all my life, I had never seen snow fall in Tehran and not a single person even smile," she wrote. "Hard days have passed and everyone is stunned; a whole country is in mourning, a whole country is holding back tears, a whole country has a lump in its throat."

A young soldier who refused to obey orders to shoot protesters during one of Iran's most intense waves of nationwide unrest has been sentenced to death, a human rights group reported Tuesday.

The Iran Human Rights Society (IHRS) identified the soldier as Javid Khales, who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1404, a major wave of anti-regime demonstrations from late 2025 to early 2026 calling for an end to the country’s current dictatorship.

"According to informed sources, when faced with the command to shoot at protesting people, he refused to execute the order, leading to his immediate arrest and the opening of a case against him," IHRS said.

Witnesses claimed Khales, now in Isfahan prison, did not commit a crime but refused to shoot in an act of humanity, the group said.

LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: 'THIS REGIME MUST FALL'

While the unrest has already led to thousands of arrests and deaths among protesters, Khales’ planned execution further raises concerns over unfair, state-sanctioned killings and rushed trials that deny defendants proper legal protections.

"Amid the continuation of protests and the intensification of deadly repression against the people, the news of Javid Khales — a young soldier who refused to shoot at protesters — being sentenced to death has heightened concerns about a new wave of judicial massacre," the human rights group said. 

"This sentence comes at a time when judiciary officials have openly spoken of summary trials and the swift execution of death sentences against those arrested in the protests."

IRAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 16,500 IN SWEEPING ‘GENOCIDE’ CRACKDOWN: REPORT

A judiciary spokesperson and the Tehran prosecutor, in separate statements, emphasized that cases involving dissidents must be resolved as quickly as possible, IHRS reported, raising concerns that executions could take place outside proper legal procedures. Human rights sources say many detainees have remained in custody without access to a lawyer or a fair trial.

The organization added that Khales’ death sentence is seen as part of a broader effort to instill fear, "enforce absolute obedience and intensify protest repression."

Over the past several days, the government shut down and restricted the internet nationwide to prevent protesters from organizing. Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction.

Precise details were unavailable regarding Khales’ case, his current status or the judicial process.

Gunfire echoed through Tehran Tuesday as heavily armed militias were deployed across the Iranian capital, transforming some districts into fortified zones under intense security.

Video footage showed bursts of automatic weapons after dark as government buildings, state media sites and major intersections were reportedly placed under guard, with armored pickups and masked fighters patrolling the streets in Toyotas.

The trucks were mounted with heavy machine guns and were moving in convoys with weapons firing into the darkness as armed men shouted commands.

In the video, large-caliber guns can be heard rattling as vehicles maneuver through urban streets.

ARMED KURDISH FIGHTERS TRY TO BREACH IRAN BORDER AS REGIONAL THREAT GROWS AMID PROTESTS: REPORTS

"There has been a deployment of dozens of Toyotas mounted with heavy machine guns (DShK) and other heavy weapons in Tehran," Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

"They are reportedly being used by elements linked to Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)," he said.

"Their commander speaks in Farsi, and these fighters are Iraqi Hashd al-Sha’bi, Popular Mobilization Force and Hezbollah fighters who have joined the IRGC. The IRGC are their commanders, and you can hear them shouting in Farsi."

According to Safavi, the Iranian regime has increasingly relied on foreign proxy forces to maintain control of the capital.

"The regime has brought in at least 5,000 foreign elements now from Iraq and Hezbollah to control Tehran," he explained.

US AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN AT EMERGENCY UN MEETING THAT TRUMP IS 'MAN OF ACTION,' 'ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE'

"They are guarding the government buildings and the state radio and TV and are using heavy machine guns, which are Russian-made and 50 caliber."

Safavi added that "at night, there are fierce clashes that are ongoing as well as running street battles between the protesters and the special unit forces."

The footage emerged as the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported what it described as Day 24 of nationwide protests marked by a continued communications blackout.

"The number of confirmed deaths has reached 4,519, while the number of deaths still under investigation stands at 9,049," the agency said, adding that at least 5,811 people have been seriously injured and 26,314 arrested.

HRANA reports also described an overwhelming security presence, particularly with law enforcement, the IRGC, Basij units and plainclothes agents after nightfall, creating what the group called an atmosphere of deterrence and fear.

The first protests began Dec. 28 and rapidly spread nationwide, driven by economic grievances and opposition to clerical rule.

IRAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 16,500 IN SWEEPING ‘GENOCIDE’ CRACKDOWN: REPORT

Demonstrations have persisted despite mass arrests, lethal force and internet shutdowns.

"Sometimes the protesters hold their ground to the gunfire, ammunition and volleys of tear gas," Safavi said.

He alleged that IRGC units attacked a hospital in Gorgan, killing wounded patients, stationing snipers on rooftops and firing into surrounding areas.

"They then took around 76 bodies to a warehouse and are refusing to hand them over to families because the forces want to bury them in secret," he claimed.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly blamed foreign enemies for unrest while backing the IRGC’s response.

President Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that continued assassination threats from leaders in Tehran would trigger overwhelming retaliation.

"Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up," Trump told NewsNation.

NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi rejected the notion that external military action could topple the regime.

"A foreign war cannot bring down this regime," she said in a statement. "What is required is an organized nationwide resistance rooted in active, combat-ready forces inside Iran’s cities to defeat one of the most brutal and repressive apparatuses in the world today — the IRGC."

Violent protests erupted in several Swiss cities as American flags were burned and riot police clashed with demonstrators ahead of President Trump’s arrival in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.

Trump is scheduled to arrive Wednesday and is expected to deliver a speech at the annual gathering of global political leaders and corporate executives.

His visit comes amid heightened tensions with European leaders after Trump doubled down on his push to acquire Greenland for U.S. national security reasons and declined to rule out military options.

TRUMP SAYS 'YOU’LL SEE' WHEN ASKED HOW FAR HE’LL GO ON GREENLAND TAKEOVER

The Davos forum, held in eastern Switzerland, is one of the world’s most high-profile economic summits, bringing together heads of state, CEOs, bankers and policymakers to discuss global trade, security and geopolitics.

Around 300 protesters marched through Davos Jan. 19 to oppose both the forum and Trump’s planned appearance.

Chanting slogans and holding banners reading "Trump not welcome," demonstrators accused Swiss authorities of legitimizing what they described as authoritarian and plutocratic politics by hosting the U.S. president.

GREENLAND NEEDS US FOR DEFENSE BECAUSE 'EUROPEANS PROJECT WEAKNESS,' US TREASURY SECRETARY ARGUES

Images from the protests showed masked demonstrators setting fire to American flags, while local media reported smashed windows and other property damage.

Swiss outlet Swissinfo reported clashes broke out after police moved to disperse the crowd. 

Officers in full riot gear deployed water cannons, chemical irritants and rubber bullets and said they were targeted with fireworks.

The outlet also reported a police statement said "paint bags were thrown at the facades and shop windows were smashed on the corner of Bahnhofstrasse and Uraniastrasse", with the amount of property damage unknown.

Two police officers were also reportedly hit by stones but remained unharmed.

Similar demonstrations were held elsewhere, including in Bern, where a protest was broken up as police sealed off the city center.

PROTESTS EXPLODE IN GREENLAND AMID TRUMP TAKEOVER PUSH: 'WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN BEING AMERICANS'

In Zurich, thousands marched Sunday night, with one placard reading, "Put the Trumpster in the dumpster."

Activists from the Swiss NGO Campax also projected a cartoon image of Trump onto a ski slope near Davos, branding him the "Spirit of plutocracy."

Trade tensions are expected to dominate discussions at the summit, alongside talks on the war in Ukraine and broader global security concerns.

Trump addressed the Greenland issue in a social media post early Tuesday.

"As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security," Trump wrote. "There can be no going back — on that, everyone agrees. The United States of America is the most powerful country anywhere on the globe, by far."

Iran’s internet blackout has hardened into a permanent system of digital repression, with the regime treating citizens’ access to the outside world as an "existential threat," according to digital rights monitors.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported Monday that Iran’s connectivity landscape had shifted dramatically as the country entered its 22nd day of unrest, following several days of almost total nationwide internet shutdown.

"On the twenty-second day, after several days of an almost complete internet shutdown, reports emerged of limited and unstable internet connectivity in some parts of the country," NetBlocks reported.

"Indications are that we’re seeing a move toward a kind of ‘filternet plus’ censorship scheme in Iran," NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker told Fox News Digital before pointing to "a rapid decline into a darker kind of digital darkness."

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

"The key difference from the pre-protest filternet arrangement is that, while internet platforms were extensively censored before, the regime is selectively whitelisting only a handful of services it deems critical for business needs.

"Even this selective access is sporadic, which means the censorship is likely still in the test phase," he added. "In practice though, ordinary users remain offline."

Toker described how the digital darkness "is in fact getting darker because the information controls are getting tighter."

"Where international links were tolerated as a window to trade, the regime is approaching each of these as potential threats," he said before adding that the regime "sees its own citizens’ ability to communicate with the rest of the world as an existential threat because the people are disaffected."

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) at least 2,571 people were killed as of Monday, with additional deaths reported but not yet fully verified amid the communications blackout.

The internet blackout began Jan. 8 amid escalating demonstrations since Dec. 28, as authorities sought to prevent protesters from organizing, sharing videos of crackdowns and communicating with the outside world.

Since then, connectivity has remained inconsistent, with frequent outages and throttling even when partial access is restored.

IRAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 16,500 IN SWEEPING ‘GENOCIDE’ CRACKDOWN: REPORT

Iran International reported the blackout was expected to last until at least late March, with IranWire saying government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told media activists that access to international online services would not be restored before Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, on March 20.

"Having internet access was always a window to the outside and a lifeline for many Iranians," Toker added. "It allowed for personal expression and culture that is banned by the regime."

"These online freedoms can be as simple as online gaming, watching foreign movies or women’s ability to participate equally in spaces that would otherwise be barred by the Islamic Republic," he added.

"With the internet blackout continuing, the curtain has been drawn on that window," Toker said. "This is angering many Iranians, particularly Gen Z, who stand to lose a part of their identity."

The blackout has also coincided with cyber incidents targeting Iran’s state infrastructure.

IRAN PUSHES FOR FAST TRIALS AND EXECUTIONS OF SUSPECTS DETAINED IN PROTESTS DESPITE TRUMP'S WARNING: REPORT

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, anti-regime activists hacked Iran’s national broadcaster, briefly interrupting state television to air protest messages and calls from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah and a prominent opposition figure.

"We aren’t able to see the specific hack here," Toker explained. "The lack of up-to-date security is an issue for Iran."

"It is caused directly by the country’s digital isolation," he said. "Iran’s internet systems are outdated, and security tools aren’t available due to internet restrictions."

Toker added that embargoes force widespread use of pirated software, which often contains hidden vulnerabilities that can be exploited to breach critical networks.

He said cyber warfare played a major role during the June 2025 clashes between Israel and Iran, prompting the blackout as a defensive measure against digital attacks. Israel, he noted, also restricted parts of its own network at the time.

"In 2026, we haven’t seen the same focus on cyber incidents, but it’s clear there’s an ongoing battle between state actors as well as individual hackers," Toker said.

Multiple Iranian state TV channels were hacked on Sunday amid a near-total internet shutdown to air footage of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and images of anti-government protests that have rocked Tehran in recent weeks.

Two clips of Pahlavi were shown as well as a graphic calling on Iranian security forces to side with the public, The Associated Press reported.

"Don't point your weapons at the people. Join the nation for the freedom of Iran," one graphic read, according to a translation from the outlet.

Pahlavi himself called on Iran’s military to break with the Islamic Republic and side with the people.

TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP CREATES 'RARE OPPORTUNITY' FOR CHANGE IN IRAN, FORMER IRANIAN POLITICAL PRISONER SAYS

"I have a special message for the military. You are the national army of Iran, not the Islamic Republic army," he said in the hacked broadcast. "You have a duty to protect your own lives. You don’t have much time left. Join the people as soon as possible."

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which tracks human rights violations in Iran, said on Sunday that nationwide protests continued into the 22nd day as President Donald Trump weighs possible U.S. military action.

The group’s aggregated figures showed 624 recorded protests, the arrest of at least 24,669 people and the confirmed deaths of 3,919 individuals.

KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN

HRANA said 3,685 of those killed were protesters, including 25 children under the age of 18.

Nearly 9,000 deaths remain under investigation.

Iran International reported that witnesses across multiple cities told them security forces stormed hospitals, removed injured protesters, and interfered with medical care, while reports from other areas described overwhelmed morgues and a strong security presence around medical facilities.

The outlet also reported that witnesses described injured protesters being left without medical care after shootings, as ambulances failed to arrive and phone networks were unavailable.

Others said hospitals were inaccessible or refused treatment, resulting in some wounded protesters bleeding to death while taking shelter in nearby buildings.

Iranian protesters are facing their deadliest days yet as security forces unleash mass killings and executions in a sweeping crackdown some have labeled "genocide," new reports say.

According to The Sunday Times, a report compiled by doctors entrenched in the region and reviewed by the outlet, estimates that security forces have killed at least 16,500 protesters and injured more than 330,000 others.

The report also described the violence as an "utter slaughter," warning that the true toll may be even higher due to restricted access to hospitals and the near-total shutdown of communications.

POMPEO SAYS IRANIAN REGIME HAS ARRIVED AT 'NATURAL TERMINUS': 'LET'S NOT WASTE THIS HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY'

Most of the victims, the report says, are believed to be under the age of 30, underscoring the heavy toll on Iran’s younger generation as the regime intensifies its efforts to crush dissent.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei acknowledged Sunday that "several thousands" have been killed since protests erupted Dec. 28.

In a televised address, he blamed demonstrators, calling them "foot-soldiers of the U.S." and falsely claiming protesters were armed with imported live ammunition.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that as of day 22 of the protests, verified figures show 3,919 people killed, with 8,949 additional deaths under investigation, 2,109 severely injured, and 24,669 detainees.

HRANA noted that the true toll is likely far higher due to the internet shutdown.

Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German eye surgeon and medical director of Munich MED, said in The Sunday Times report that doctors across Iran are "shocked and crying," despite having experience treating war injuries.

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

"This is a whole new level of brutality," Parasta said. He added that Starlink terminals smuggled into Iran have been the only means of communication since authorities cut internet access on Jan. 8.

Eyewitnesses who fled Iran also described snipers targeting protesters’ heads, mass shootings and systematic blinding using pellet guns.

One former Iranian resident said in the report that doctors reported more than 800 eye removals in a single night in the capital alone, with possibly more than 8,000 people blinded nationwide.

"This is genocide under the cover of digital darkness," Parasta said.

Alongside the street killings, executions have surged dramatically, according to Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Safavi told Fox News Digital that 2,200 people were executed in 2025, while 153 have already been hanged in the first 18 days of January 2026, averaging more than eight executions per day.

IRAN REGIME OPENED FIRE WITH LIVE AMMUNITION ON PROTESTERS, DOCTOR SAYS: ‘SHOOT-TO-KILL’

"Ali Khamenei is continuing mass executions in parallel with the killing of young protesters," Safavi said. "Three executions in the form of hanging are now happening every hour according to our data."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi previously disputed high death tolls reported in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, claiming fatalities were only in the hundreds and dismissing higher figures as "misinformation."

President Donald Trump sharply condemned Khamenei over the weekend, calling him a "sick man" and urging new leadership in Iran.

In an interview with Politico, Trump accused Khamenei of overseeing "the complete destruction of the country" and using "violence at levels never seen before," adding that Iran’s leadership should "stop killing people."

A viral video showing an Iranian refugee lighting a cigarette using a burning image of Iran’s supreme leader has become a global flashpoint as protests rock the Islamic Republic and President Donald Trump weighs military action against the regime.

The Associated Press reported the 34-second video shows a woman believed to be living in Canada igniting a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – a capital crime in Iran – before calmly lighting a cigarette and letting the image fall to the ground.

The images accompanying this story show protesters recreating the act at demonstrations outside Iran, not the woman featured in the original viral video.

The footage has spread rapidly across social media as Iran’s government carries out a violent crackdown on dissent that activists say has killed thousands.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM INVITES IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO DAVOS AFTER REGIME SLAUGHTER OF IRANIAN CIVILIANS

The video has been shared millions of times across platforms such as X, Instagram and Reddit, with many viewers seeing it as a stark act of defiance against Iran’s clerical rulers.

Others have questioned whether the moment was spontaneous or staged, highlighting the growing skepticism that surrounds viral images in an age of artificial intelligence and information warfare.

What is undisputed is the symbolism of the act. In Iran, burning an image of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can be punishable by death.

Smoking in public is considered immodest, and women are legally required to wear hijabs. In the brief clip, the woman defies all three norms at once, appearing without a headscarf as her hair hangs close to the flame.

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

The gesture has leapt from the digital world into the real one. Photos and videos have surfaced from protests in Europe, Israel and the U.S. showing demonstrators lighting cigarettes using images of Khamenei, mimicking what has become known online as the "cigarette girl" moment.

Iranian state media has announced wave after wave of arrests, targeting those it labels "terrorists" and seizing Starlink satellite internet equipment – often the only way videos can escape the country during government-imposed internet blackouts.

Activists say the regime has intensified repression in recent weeks as unrest spreads amid economic collapse and political instability.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE REVEALS 6-STEP PLAN TO EXERT PRESSURE ON TEHRAN'S REGIME

The AP reported the woman has described herself in interviews with other outlets as an Iranian refugee living in Toronto, and said she fled Iran after repeated arrests and abuse by security forces.

She filmed the video on Jan. 7, according to The AP – one day before Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout. She did so to show solidarity with "friends" inside the country, she said. She has asked that her real name not be published, citing fears for her safety and for family members who remain in Iran.

The video’s explosive reach underscores how social media has become a central battleground in modern conflicts, with images shaping global perception faster than governments can control them.

As Trump weighs next steps toward Tehran, the clip has become more than a viral moment – it has become a symbol of resistance, scrutiny and the high stakes of dissent under authoritarian rule.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Protests erupted in Greenland Saturday as demonstrators rejected President Donald Trump's bid to take over the Arctic island, with protesters chanting that Greenland is "not for sale" and saying they want to determine their own future, Reuters reported.

"We are not interested in being Americans," one protester said in a video during demonstrations in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk.

The protests followed Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, including a Truth Social post Saturday in which he announced new tariffs on several European countries unless a deal is reached for the island's purchase by the U.S.

In the post, Trump wrote that Denmark and other European nations would face a 10% tariff beginning Feb. 1, rising to 25% on June 1, and said the tariffs would remain in place "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland."

TRUMP'S GREENLAND TAKEOVER WOULD LIKELY ENTAIL ENORMOUS PRICE TAG: REPORT

Some demonstrators wore red baseball caps styled after the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hats worn by Trump supporters, but with the slogan "Make America Go Away."

In Nuuk, thousands of protesters led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen marched toward the U.S. consulate carrying flags and banners while chanting "Kalaallit Nunaat," the island’s name in Greenlandic, according to Reuters. Nielsen addressed the crowd outside the consulate, drawing loud cheers.

"I’ve come here today because I think it’s important to show that Greenland is not for sale. It is not a toy. This is our home," Naja Holm, a civil servant, told Reuters.

NATO AMBASSADOR SAYS EUROPE 'HAS A TENDENCY TO OVERREACT' OVER GREENLAND DISPUTE

Trump has said Greenland is vital to U.S. national security because of its strategic Arctic location and mineral resources and has warned that China and Russia are seeking influence on the island. He has argued that U.S. control would strengthen Western security in the region.

The dispute has drawn sharp reaction from European leaders. 

Sweden’s prime minister said Europe would not be "blackmailed," while French President Emmanuel Macron warned that tariff threats were unacceptable and said Europe would respond in a united and coordinated manner in an X post.

"No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations," Macron wrote in an X post. "Tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context. Europeans will respond to them in a united and coordinated manner if they were to be confirmed."

Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel also took to social media in response.

"We have taken note of President Trump’s announcement on tariffs," van Weel wrote. "Military efforts related to exercises in Greenland are intended to contribute to security in the Arctic region. The Netherlands is in close contact with the @EU_Commission and partners on our response."

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also weighed in.

"Our position on Greenland is very clear — it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes," Starmer wrote. "We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration."

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark with a population of about 57,000.

All political parties represented in Greenland’s parliament support eventual independence, but they differ on timing and have said they would prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than become part of the U.S., Reuters reported.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is calling for the end of the Iranian regime amid ongoing protests and as the country holds its breath to see whether a 26-year-old protester will be executed, something President Donald Trump has said could trigger U.S. intervention.

"I read with great sadness and heartache about the pending execution of Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old shopkeeper. He is facing death at the hands of the ayatollah simply for protesting in the street for a better life. His family is calling on the world to come to their son’s aid," Graham wrote in a post on X along with an article about Soltani.

"I hope and pray that the execution does not go forward and this young man does not forfeit his life because he wants to live in freedom without fear," the senator added. "This regime must fall, and the Iranian people must have a better life."

Graham said that he believes if the regime falls and the "murderous ayatollah running Iran" is gone, the impact on the region "would be incredibly positive." He also warned, however, that if Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were to remain in power, it would be "a giant step backward into the darkness."

LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE 'ANY MEANS NECESSARY' TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS

Soltani's story has spread in recent days as the unrest in Iran continues. 

The 26-year-old was arrested in Fardis and was sentenced to death after an expedited trial, according to ABC News, which cited Soltani's second cousin, Somayeh.

"As someone who is an activist myself and who has fought this regime for many years, I felt it was my right — and my duty — to be Erfan's voice outside the country despite all the pressure and sanctions that fall on families," Somayeh, who is based in Germany, told ABC News.

Iranians began protesting in late December amid worsening economic conditions. Earlier this month, the regime instituted a nationwide internet blackout, blocking demonstrators from contacting each other or the outside world amid international fears that protesters would be met with violence and death.

TOP IRAN PRAYER LEADER WHO DUBBED PROTESTERS 'TRUMP'S SOLDIERS' CALLS FOR EXECUTIONS AMID ONGOING UNREST

On Jan. 2, just days after the protests erupted, Trump said the U.S. was "locked and loaded" and ready to take action if the regime used violence against demonstrators. One day after the threat was made, the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, adding weight to Trump's words, though no known action has been taken yet.

Trump claimed Wednesday the administration was told "on good authority" that the killing in Iran had stopped.

"We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, and it's stopped and stopping, and there's no plan for executions or an execution," Trump said in the Oval Office. "So, I've been told that on good authority. We'll find out about it."

On Friday, he seemed to double down on the idea that the regime had stopped using violence when he issued a Truth Social post saying Iran had canceled over 800 scheduled hangings.

"I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The fate of Soltani remains unclear, as does the prospect of U.S. intervention in Iran.

As protests spread across Iran and security forces intensify their crackdown, former political prisoners are warning that what is visible on the streets represents only a fraction of the violence unfolding behind prison walls.

In interviews with Fox News Digital, three former detainees described a system designed not just to punish dissent, but to break it through solitary confinement, beatings, medical neglect and threats of execution. 

Their accounts span nearly two decades, from the 2009 uprising to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement and the current wave of unrest, pointing to what they describe as a consistent and escalating pattern of abuse.

Maryam Shariatmadari, one of the faces of the "Girls of Revolution Street" protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, was sentenced to one year in prison in March 2018 for what authorities described as "encouraging corruption by removing her hijab."

IRANIAN STUDENT SHOT IN HEAD AT CLOSE RANGE AMID PROTESTS, BODY BURIED ALONG ROADSIDE

Speaking this week, Shariatmadari said the scale of the current protests has pushed the regime beyond its capacity to detain demonstrators.

"According to the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the suppressive forces of the Islamic Republic … are delivering ‘final shots’ to wounded protesters, killing them on the spot," she said. "This has been unprecedented over the past 47 years and indicates that the number of detainees has become so large that the Islamic Republic no longer has the capacity to hold them and is killing them without any form of trial."

She said that while detainees in earlier uprisings were transferred to prisons or unofficial "safe houses," authorities expanded detention during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests to schools, ambulances and food transport vehicles.

"They used ambulances and food transport vehicles to detain protesters, something I believe to be unprecedented in human history," Shariatmadari said.

IRAN PROTESTS SPARK REGIME SURVIVAL QUESTION AS EXILED DISSIDENT SAYS IT FEELS LIKE A ‘REVOLUTION’

She described systematic abuse Inside detention centers.

"These include beatings, transfers to prisons without separation based on the type of offense and the deliberate incitement of other inmates to harass and abuse us," she said.

One of her most traumatic experiences occurred during interrogation.

"I was ordered to remove my clothes and remain completely naked for a body search while cameras were present," Shariatmadari said. "I knew that men were watching me, and I could hear their voices."

She also recalled being denied urgent medical care after an injury.

"Only after approximately 24 hours was I taken to a hospital to undergo surgery," she said. "I believe this happened as a result of media pressure and public support."

IRAN FLIPS ‘KILL SWITCH’ TO HIDE ALLEGED CRIMES AS DEATH TOLL RISES AMID PROTESTS

Shariatmadari’s husband, Mehdi Ghadimi, a freelance journalist who worked with reformist newspapers Etemad and Shargh, was arrested in January 2023 during protests and taken to an undisclosed location. He spent nearly his entire detention in solitary confinement.

"I was interrogated twice daily, morning and afternoon, for eight hours with my eyes blindfolded," Ghadimi said.

In the final days of his detention, he was transferred to a shared cell, where he encountered detainees from across Iranian society.

"I encountered students, workers, technical specialists and others who had been arrested during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement," he said.

According to Ghadimi, detainees accused of supporting the Pahlavi dynasty were beaten more severely.

"Because their slogans and symbols supported the Pahlavi dynasty, they were beaten far more than the others," he said.

Based on his experience, he warned that current detainees are likely to face even harsher treatment.

"I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment," Ghadimi said, adding that Iran’s judiciary chief has publicly signaled a hard line.

Ghadimi, who fled the country in 2024, also cited figures circulating among activists claiming well over the 2,600 detainees reported, likely dwarfing that number. He said the number of detainees is likely far higher than the 10,000 reported.

IRAN REGIME SAID TO UNLEASH HEZBOLLAH AND IRAQI MILITIAS AS UPRISING SPREADS

Shabnam Madadzadeh, who was imprisoned during the 2009 uprising, said watching the current protests has revived memories of extreme brutality and raised fears of mass executions.

"What immediately comes to my mind is the regime’s sheer brutality in torture and killing," Madadzadeh said.

She said detention centers were already overflowing during the 2009 protests.

"There was no space left for detainees. Even the solitary cells were overflowing with people," she said.

Madadzadeh recalled interrogators accusing nearly everyone arrested of links to the Mujahedin-e Khalq and described torture and beatings "to the point of killing."

One threat made during her interrogation still haunts her.

"He told me, ‘If we are going to be overthrown, we will kill all of you. We will leave no one alive,’" she said.

She warned that the current internet blackout has heightened the danger for detainees.

"We truly do not know what level of brutality is currently taking place inside the prisons," Madadzadeh said, adding that information reaching her suggests the regime is seeking to carry out executions quickly.

Citing Iran’s past, she warned of the risk of mass killings similar to the 1988 executions of political prisoners.

"Today, at a moment when the regime is on the brink of collapse, there is a real danger that such a massacre could be repeated," she said.

Madadzadeh said young detainees are likely facing forced confessions, mock executions and threats of sexual violence.

"Whatever I do to you, no one will hear your voice," an interrogator once told her, she recalled.

She also emphasized the suffering of families searching for loved ones.

"Families are moving between detention centers, prisons, morgues and cemeteries," she said. "This uncertainty itself is the greatest form of torture."

As the protests continue, all three former prisoners said the outside world must not look away.

IRANIAN REGIME TARGETING STARLINK USERS IN BID TO SQUASH LEAKING PROTEST FOOTAGE

"The first thing I expect the free world to understand is the true voice of the people inside Iran," Shariatmadari said. "The people of Iran are united in their demand for regime change and want to restore Iran to its former dignity, a dignity in which human rights and human worth were respected."

Ghadimi echoed that warning.

"Without a doubt, when the regime displays such open violence in the streets, even worse atrocities occur behind prison walls," he said. "I can only imagine that this time all detainees will face similarly brutal treatment."

For Madadzadeh, the danger is immediate.

"The world must respond decisively to this brutality," she said. "Every minute of delay costs lives."

She called for international action.

"Force the regime to allow independent visits to prisons and to the secret detention centers run by the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence," Madadzadeh said. "Lives depend on it."

Together, their testimony paints a stark picture of Iran’s prisons as the hidden front line of repression and a warning that what remains unseen may be even more deadly than what is already visible in the streets.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday lashed out at President Donald Trump, labeling him a "criminal" and accusing the U.S. of orchestrating unrest that has erupted into the deadliest protests in decades.

"The latest anti-Iran sedition was different in that the U.S. President personally became involved," Iranian media quoted Khamenei as saying, per Reuters.

The statement is the latest Iranian government rhetoric blaming the U.S. for contributing to instability in Iran, with Tehran singling out Trump as a central figure in what it calls foreign-driven unrest. The regime has also been pointing fingers at Israel. 

Protests have raged in Iran since late December, initially over economic problems but rapidly expanding into widespread anti-regime demonstrations. Demonstrators have been met with severe crackdowns by security forces.

TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO 'CUT OFF' TRUMP'S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES

Human rights groups say thousands of protesters have been killed in the unrest. Reports from various groups say Khamenei was responsible for a crackdown that killed thousands of protesters. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran on Friday put the death toll at 3,090.

The number, which exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution, continues to rise.

Meanwhile, Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi told Bret Baier on "Special Report" on Monday that a minimum of 12,000 people were dead.

Trump has expressed support for Iranian protesters and talked about regime change, while some Republican lawmakers have openly urged Trump to consider military action.

LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR US TO USE 'ANY MEANS NECESSARY' TO STOP THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE KILLING OF IRANIANS

The president said on Tuesday that he had cut off meetings with the Iranian regime, saying there would be no contact until the government stops killing protesters. He also urged the Iranian people to "take over" the country.

When asked if Arab and Israeli officials "convinced" him to not strike Iran, Trump told reporters Friday that he convinced himself and cited the canceled hangings. 

Trump also expressed similar sentiments on social media Friday.

"I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (Over 800 of them), have been canceled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. 

It is unclear whom Trump spoke to in Iran to confirm the state of any planned executions. The statement echoes what White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday about the canceled executions. She maintained that all options remained on the table when it comes to dealing with Iran.

"What I will say with respect to Iran is that the president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences," Leavitt told reporters Thursday. "And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted." 

It’s unclear from Trump’s post if he was referring to the 800 executions that were already canceled or whether there have been two consecutive days when 800 executions have been called off. 

Meanwhile, a sermon by Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami carried by Iranian state radio sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: "Armed hypocrites should be put to death!"

Khatami, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council long known for his hardline views, described the protesters as the "butlers" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "Trump’s soldiers," according to The Associated Press.

He said Netanyahu and Trump should await "hard revenge from the system."

"Americans and Zionists should not expect peace," the cleric said.

Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal and Diana Stancy, as well as Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

While thousands of Iranians take to the streets daily demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic, people in the small European country of Georgia, along Russia’s southern border, have been protesting at various levels of intensity for over a year following disputed parliamentary elections in 2024.

Everyday Georgians who are still braving freezing temperatures and allegations of violence by the authorities are looking at their peers fighting for democracy in Iran and seeing their own struggle playing out against a corrupt and unpopular regime.

"When you walk through the demonstrations every day in Tbilisi, all people talk about is Iran. The heated debate over it shows how much it matters and how optimism is out on the streets due to developments despite controversies," Tinatin Khidasheli, former defense minister of Georgia, told Fox News Digital.

IRAN'S ETHNIC MINORITIES COULD HOLD KEY TO REGIME'S FATE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE

"Developments in Iran resonate in a very human way: if people can challenge a far more despotic and violent regime, it reinforces the belief that resistance in Georgia is not futile," Khidasheli added.

Mass protests began shortly after the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in elections in October 2024 and halted Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union.

Georgians have long desired to move closer to the West and join the European Union, with opinion polls showing overwhelming support for joining the bloc. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze halted Tbilisi’s accession path to join the EU shortly after taking power, sparking anger from many.

Tbilisi's main Rustaveli Avenue has been crowded with protesters chanting and blocking traffic, outraged at the ruling party pulling Georgia away from Europe and closer to a Russian-oriented foreign policy.

FRANCE CONDEMNS IRAN PROTEST CRACKDOWN, WEIGHS SATELLITE INTERNET AID AMID BLACKOUT

Erekle Koplatadze, a 33-year-old from Tbilisi, has been participating in protests almost daily since November 2024. Koplatadze, who was detained for six days for allegedly blocking a road while protesting in November 2025, told Fox News Digital that there has been a feeling of solidarity with the protests in Iran since people rose up in December against economic mismanagement and regime corruption. 

"You will see many Lion and Sun flags (Iran's national flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution) in front of Georgia’s Parliament. And there have been protests in front of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi," Koplatadze said.

Koplatadze said the news coming out of Iran and the regime’s brutal violence employed against innocent people has shaken many Georgians in the crowd and a shared sense of empathy has emerged.

"I don’t remember such a big protest in Tbilisi in support of a foreign nation except for Ukraine," he said.

Ana Riaboshenko, co-founder of the "Initiative Culture For Democracy" who attends protests on a regular basis, told Fox News Digital that developments in Iran directly affect Georgia, as well as all the countries in the region. 

"Its transformation from a terrorist state to a democratic government will significantly change the situation and indeed contribute substantially to the global power balance and economy.  A particularly positive outcome is expected with the collapse of the Russian-Iranian partnership."

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

Riaboshenko pointed out that Russian-backed Georgian Dream representatives positioned themselves as partners with Tehran and bilateral relations and cooperation have increased since the rigged elections of 2024.

Civic IDEA, a Georgian NGO, issued a report in July 2025 detailing how Iranian businessmen and companies use Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to Iran. 

Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia, according to the Civic IDEA report.

Marika Mikiashvili, Foreign Secretary of party Droa, part of the largest democratic alliance in Georgia, spoke to Fox News Digital and said while Georgians are in awe and very inspired by the bravery of Iranians, their struggle is a warning sign as much as it is profoundly inspiring.

"Many protesters see Iran as a cautionary tale of what happens when a consolidating dictatorship isn’t defeated soon enough," Mikiashvili warned.

There have also been no statements of support for the pro-democracy protests from the Georgian Dream government or condemnation of security force human rights violations against innocent people.

As the Georgian Dream government entrenched itself in power, it implemented harsh anti-demonstration laws to crack down on dissent and used disproportionate force and other brutal tactics to squash the unrest.

Human Rights Watch documented numerous laws that interfered with Georgians' rights to peacefully assemble, including steep fines for protest-related violations and abusive police tactics as thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained.

Since Georgian Dream’s election, 600 people have been arbitrarily detained, 300 protesters were tortured or subjected to inhumane treatment, 1,000 citizens received fines for political opinions, and 400 journalists have been arrested, beaten, and harassed, according to Transparency International Georgia, a non-governmental organization with the goal of combating corruption in Georgia.

An Iranian cleric has called for the death penalty for protesters detained during a nationwide crackdown amid ongoing unrest against the Islamic regime. 

The cleric's call follows President Donald Trump's threats of U.S. intervention if protesters were met with violence.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s sermon, which was broadcast by Iranian state radio, reportedly sparked chants from those gathered for prayers. The Associated Press reported that the chants included, "Armed hypocrites should be put to death!"

During his sermon, Khatami gave the first overall statistics of the damage from the protests, which began in late December, according to the AP. This information provides a look at the scale of the protests after the regime instituted a nationwide internet blackout on Jan. 8.

ARMED KURDISH FIGHTERS TRY TO BREACH IRAN BORDER AS REGIONAL THREAT GROWS AMID PROTESTS: REPORTS

The cleric claimed 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls and 20 other holy places had sustained damage, the AP reported. Khatami also claimed that 400 hospitals, 106 ambulances, 71 fire department vehicles and another 50 emergency vehicles sustained damage.

Another 80 homes of Friday prayer leaders had also reportedly been damaged, the AP reported, adding that it could be a sign of demonstrators taking out their frustrations against the government as the leaders hold an important position within Iran's theocracy.

"They want you to withdraw from religion," Khatami said, according to the AP. "They planned these crimes from a long time ago."

POMPEO SAYS IRANIAN REGIME HAS ARRIVED AT 'NATURAL TERMINUS': 'LET'S NOT WASTE THIS HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY'

Khatami, who was appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and serves on the country’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council, had previously spoken out against protesters. He described them as being "butlers" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and "Trump's soldiers."

Khamenei made similar remarks, saying that the protesters were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy," referring to Trump.

Trump has been vocal in his support for the Iranian people and said early on that the U.S. was "locked and loaded" and ready to intervene if the regime used violence against protesters. It is unclear if and when the U.S. will take concrete action in Iran, but speculation has circulated following the bombing of the country's nuclear sites in 2025 and the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Even as the anti-regime protests seemed to slow down on Friday, experts say there is a major part of the country that could help decide the future of the country and that’s Iran’s complex ethnic minority population, which makes up just under 50% of the population.

Shukriya Bradost, a leading academic expert on Iran’s minorities who was born and raised in the Kurdistan region of Iran, told Fox News Digital that "Ethnic groups from the establishment of the Islamic constitution in 1979 did not support it and have been fighting for their rights for 47 years."

According to a new paper authored by Bradost, "Iran’s protests have spread across provinces, despite skepticism and concern among ethnic groups," she notes that 51% of the country is Persian, Azeris make up 24%, Kurds comprise roughly 8% to 17% of the nation, and Arabs and Baluch minorities number 3% and 2% of the population.

IRAN PROTESTS SPARK REGIME SURVIVAL QUESTION AS EXILED DISSIDENT SAYS IT FEELS LIKE A ‘REVOLUTION’

She wrote that "Iran is a country of about 93 million people whose modern state was built around a centralized national identity rather than ethnic pluralism."

"The regime cannot survive anymore. The regime will fight to the last bullet if Khamenei is still alive," she said.

Reports from various groups say the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, ordered the slaughter of thousands of protesters — the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran reported 2,571 deaths from the protests, while leading Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi told Bret Baier on "Special Report" on Monday that a minimum of 12,000 people are dead.

Sardar Pashaei, the president of Hiwa, a nonprofit that organizes a new generation of Kurdish activists for human rights and democratic change, told Fox News Digital that, "Ethnic minorities make up nearly half of Iran’s population, and no meaningful political transition can succeed without them. Kurds, in particular, have decades of experience resisting authoritarian rule and have consistently paid the highest price through repression, imprisonment, and loss of life. Their role is not symbolic — it is structural to any real challenge to the Islamic Republic."

IRAN’S ‘DISTINCTIVE’ DRONE DEPLOYMENT SEES DEATH TOLL SOAR AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS

Pashaei, who won a Greco-Roman wrestling world championship title for Iran and coached the country’s elite Greco-Roman team, added, "Beyond protest, ethnic minorities — especially Kurds — are crucial to ensuring that one form of tyranny is not replaced by another. Kurdish political culture strongly favors democratic values, pluralism and women’s participation, which is why there is almost no support among them for monarchy or lifetime rule."

He noted that "In Syria and Iraq, Kurdish-administered areas became among the most stable after the collapse of dictatorships, and Kurdish regions in Iran would likely be among the most stable after the fall of the Islamic regime. Despite this, Kurds continue to face discrimination both inside Iran and within opposition politics, even though a democratic future can only be built through a broad, inclusive coalition."

Khalil Kani Sanani, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), told Fox News Digital that there are two provinces to keep an eye on. "Today, Kermanshah and Ilam are prepared to play that role. The organizations of the Kurdistan Freedom Party and the units of the National Army of Kurdistan in the cities of those two provinces are both managing the uprising process and carrying out resistance and legitimate defense."

TRUMP CANCELS ALL MEETINGS WITH IRAN, CALLS ON PROTESTERS TO 'TAKE OVER' THE COUNTRY

He noted the last major uprising began in those regions. "This time as well, after Tehran’s suppression, the cities of Kurdistan became centers of uprising against the regime, and from Kurdistan the spirit of revolt has spread toward Tehran and across all of Iran."

The "Jina uprising" he referred to was known as "The Women, Life, Freedom" movement that unfolded across Iran after the Islamic Republic’s morality police murdered Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a young Iranian-Kurdish woman, in September 2022 for failing to properly wear her hijab.

Kani Sanani said "The operations of our units in Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, and Bakhtiari against the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] forces have given great hope to the people and raised public morale.  If the airspace of those regions were to be closed to the regime’s aircraft, our forces would rapidly take control of all the cities in those provinces, and from there we would move with a force of 100,000 people to assist the residents of Tehran."

Siamand Moeini, who is on the leadership council of The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), told Fox News Digital the "The current government has no capacity or program for internal democratic reforms. Therefore, the best alternative is a joint struggle to change it and establish a democratic system that includes participation from all peoples of Iran."

He added that "Iran’s current centralized system fails to represent the will of its people. Over the past century, authoritarian governance and central state repression have resulted in the suffering and deaths of thousands — policies that the people of Iran have consistently rejected. In the current circumstances, we propose a democratic self-governance alternative for all regions of Iran, especially for Kurdistan, which can adequately address the needs of the Kurdish population."

According to Moeini, "Iran’s future system of governance must be grounded in the broad participation and cooperation of all its peoples, laying the foundation for a truly sustainable and inclusive democracy."

Iran appeared to reopen its airspace on Thursday after a sudden overnight closure disrupted flights across the region, even as airlines largely continued to avoid the country amid heightened security warnings and ongoing regional tensions. 

The overnight closure lasted around five hours after a Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, was issued, according to the aviation risk-monitoring site Safe Airspace. 

Safe Airspace warns that the main danger for civil aircraft in Iranian airspace is misidentification by air defense systems during heightened tensions, rating the overall risk level currently as "One — Do Not Fly."

TRUMP SAYS THE U.S. WILL TAKE 'VERY STRONG ACTION' AGAINST IRAN IF THE REGIME STARTS HANGING PROTESTERS

President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that he was informed the killing of protesters in Iran was "stopping."

"We have been notified and really strongly, but we'll find out what that all means. But, we've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., disagreed with Trump, writing on X that every indication he’s seen shows that the Iranian regime’s killing of anti-government protesters is "still very much in full swing."

"The death toll is mounting by the hour. Hoping that help is on the way," he wrote.

TRUMP ENVOY REPORTEDLY MEETS WITH EXILED IRANIAN PRINCE AS REGIME FACES PROTESTS

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which tracks human rights violations in Iran, said on Wednesday that nationwide protests continued into the 18th day as authorities maintained a near-total internet shutdown.

The group’s aggregated figures showed 617 protest gatherings in 187 cities across the country, the arrest of at least 18,470 people and the confirmed deaths of 2,615 individuals.

HRANA said 2,435 of those killed were protesters, including 13 children under the age of 18.

TOP IRANIAN OFFICIAL DOWNPLAYS DEATH TOLL, BLAMES 'ISRAELI PLOT' AS US CONSIDERS STRIKES

Trump has threatened action against the regime, warning Tehran in multiple Truth Social posts to stop killing its people.

"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he wrote on New Year’s Day.

The president said on Tuesday that he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials and called on protesters to "TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!"

"Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price," Trump wrote, adding, "HELP IS ON ITS WAY."

Armed Kurdish separatist groups tried to cross into Iran from Iraq in recent days, stoking fears that the country’s spiraling unrest has attracted dangerous foreign militants who could destabilize the wider region, according to reports.

Iranian officials said the attempted breach came amid a sweeping crackdown on nationwide protests against the country’s regime, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leading the response, Reuters reported.

The Tasnim News Agency also reported armed militia groups operating in Iraq crossed the border in western and northwestern Iran, according to Middle East Monitor.

TOP IRANIAN OFFICIAL DOWNPLAYS DEATH TOLL, BLAMES 'ISRAELI PLOT' AS US CONSIDERS STRIKES

Reuters had reported that three sources, including a senior Iranian official, said Turkey’s intelligence agency, known as MIT, warned the IRGC that Kurdish fighters were trying to cross the Iran-Iraq border.

The Iranian official said clashes also broke out after the attempt to cross and accused the fighters of trying to exploit the unrest and create further instability.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, around 30 million Kurds live in the Middle East, mainly in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN 'STARTING TO' CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN

Turkey has designated Kurdish militant groups in northern Iraq as terrorist organizations and has carried out cross-border military operations against them. The Turkish military has also targeted PKK bases in Iraq.

In 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said it would disarm and end its decades-long battle against Turkey.

Reuters said MIT and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's office did not comment on the Iran crossing, though it warned that any interference in Iran would inflame regional crises.

'LEAVE IRAN NOW': US EMBASSY POSTS WARNING TO AMERICANS STILL IN THE COUNTRY

Iranian authorities alleged the fighters were dispatched from Iraq and Turkey and said the Iranian regime has asked both governments to stop any transfer of fighters or weapons into Iran.

The number of deaths during the crackdown on protesters rose to at least 2,571 on Wednesday, accordin g to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings had halted, and he believes there is no plan for large-scale executions. 

Asked who told him, Trump said they were "very important sources on the other side."

Iran closed its airspace to most flights Wednesday, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, with the closure lasting a little more than two hours.

The Group of Seven (G7) nations warned Iran on Wednesday that they are prepared to impose additional sanctions on the country if the regime continues with its violent crackdown on protests.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S., joined by the European Union’s high representative, expressed "grave concern" over the reports of mass casualties, widespread injuries and alleged human rights abuses as a result of the spiraling unrest.

IRANIAN DISSIDENT UNLOADS ON AMERICAN LEFT'S SILENCE ON DEADLY PROTESTS

The development comes as Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) announced the deaths of 2,403 protesters. Other reports say the death toll is over 3,000, with the real number likely to be higher. 

"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are gravely concerned by the developments surrounding the ongoing protests in Iran," the statement said.

"We strongly oppose the intensification of the Iranian authorities’ brutal repression of the Iranian people, who have been bravely voicing legitimate aspirations for a better life, dignity and freedom, since the end of December 2025," it read.

The G7 also stated it was "deeply alarmed at reports of deaths and injuries" and condemned what it described as the "deliberate use of violence and the killing of protesters, arbitrary detention, and intimidation tactics by security forces against demonstrators."

IRAN PUSHES FOR FAST TRIALS AND EXECUTIONS OF SUSPECTS DETAINED IN PROTESTS DESPITE TRUMP'S WARNING: REPORT

The protests, which began Dec. 28, came amid deepening economic distress and the collapse of the Iranian rial. They quickly spread nationwide and evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations.

The G7 ministers also urged Iranian authorities to show restraint and end the use of force against civilians, calling on Tehran to respect its international obligations and protect the rights to "freedom of expression, to seek, receive and impart information, and the freedom of association and peaceful assembly, without fear of reprisal."

While the joint statement did not list specific new sanctions, it made clear that additional action remains on the table, signaling unity among leading Western powers.

"Iran’s continued crackdown in violation of international human rights obligations could prompt further restrictive measures from the G7," the ministers said.