Tehran accuses protesters of bearing arms, vows ‘they will be dealt with’

French, British and German leaders on Friday condemned the killing of protesters in Iran and called on Iranian authorities to halt the use of violence, according to a joint statement released by the office of French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” the statement said, stopping short of outlining specific consequences

The coordinated response from France, United Kingdom and Germany comes amid mounting international concern over a widening crackdown in Iran, where internet disruptions and restrictions on reporting have made it increasingly difficult to verify the full scale of casualties.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has instructed private media outlets and state television in Kabul to refrain from airing any supportive coverage of protesters in Iran or broadcasting negative reports about the Iranian government.​

Sources from two private media outlets and Afghanistan’s national television confirmed the directive to Afghanistan International Pashto on Friday.​

Several senior editors and managers at different news outlets in Afghanistan also confirmed the order, saying it specifically requires media to avoid any supportive coverage of protests in Iran.

The organization said the deaths have been confirmed over 13 days of anti-government protests, which began on Dec. 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic grievances and quickly spread nationwide with explicitly anti-regime slogans.

According to the group’s verified data, the protesters have been killed across 11 provinces, with hundreds more wounded. Only cases confirmed directly by the organization or by at least two independent sources are included in the current toll.

Among the confirmed fatalities are nine minors under the age of 18, though the organization said documentation confirming the precise ages of all child victims is still being collected.

The rights group also reported receiving unverified accounts of dozens more deaths in Tehran, Mashhad, Fardis in Karaj, and Hamedan. Those cases are undergoing verification and are not yet reflected in the official tally.

"The Iranian regime is doing what it has always been doing: subjugating the people of Iran," Republican Senator Bill Hagerty told Iran International on the killing of protesters.

"I think the American people are for the people of Iran. We always have been."

Asked whether he supports a regime change in Iran, Hagerty said the Iranian people will make the decision.

An eyewitness report from Tehran shows widespread protests continued on Friday night, marked by chants of “Death to the dictator,” the torching of police and IRGC vehicles, gunfire by IRGC forces, blocked streets, and nonstop car horn honking.

"The internet has been completely shut down, card payment terminals are not working, phone calls are impossible, and only Rightel users are able to send text messages," the eyewitness told Iran International.