Nearly every Iranian family hit by death, arrest or injury, eyewitnesses say
As the security crackdown intensifies in cities across Iran, reports received by Iran International indicate a sharp rise in the number of people killed, with sources saying that in some areas nearly every family has lost someone or has at least one detained or injured relative.
One source said at least five people, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed in Izeh, south of Iran, on the evening of January 8 during protests. Residents described conditions resembling martial law from around 5 p.m., with snipers positioned on rooftops and armed forces wearing masks deployed in streets and residential alleys.
In Khorramabad, Lorestan province, security forces have been stationed in large halls and schools, while reports point to the widespread transfer of bodies to medical centers. In Borujerd, residents described a severe security lockdown alongside raids on homes and reports of killings and arrests.
A source told Iran International that in Bam, Kerman province, more than 100 people were detained and around 10 killed during protests on January 8 and 9. Families have not been informed of detainees’ whereabouts, and one family was told they would have to bury the body of their slain relative themselves.
In Arak, Markazi province, eyewitnesses said the number of deaths was so high that the morgue ran out of capacity to store bodies. Witnesses in Qazvin also reported protesters being shot from rooftops.
Ali Khamenei in his Saturday speech blamed the United States for casualties, damage and what he described as slander against Iran, directly targeting President Donald Trump for encouraging unrest and promising support to protesters.
“We consider the US president a criminal for the casualties, damages, and the slander he inflicted on the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said. He further described the recent protests as “an American plot” and accused Washington of seeking to “devour Iran.”
Supreme leader links unrest to Washington
Trump, Khamenei said, had personally intervened, accusing him of making statements that emboldened demonstrators and pledging military backing. “Trump himself intervened in this unrest, made statements, encouraged the rioters, and said we will provide military support,” he added.
The events, he said, were planned by Americans with the aim of asserting control over Iran, repeating a long-standing narrative that external forces are behind domestic dissent. He also accused the US president of misrepresenting those involved in the unrest, saying Trump portrayed “vandals” as the Iranian nation.
At least 12,000 people have been killed in Iran in the largest killing in the country's contemporary history, much of it carried out on January 8 and 9 during an ongoing internet shutdown, according to senior government and security sources speaking to Iran International.
The killing was carried out on the direct order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with the explicit knowledge and approval of the heads of all three branches of government, and with an order for live fire issued by the Supreme National Security Council, Iran International has learned.
Warning to protesters and alleged backers
Khamenei issued a warning that extended beyond street protests to those he described as "instigators" at home and abroad.
The leader of the Islamic Republic said he does not intend to steer the country toward war but will not let "domestic criminals" go, while also acknowledging that “several thousand people” were killed during widespread protests across Iran.
“The Iranian nation, just as it broke the back of the riot, must also break the back of those who instigated it.”
Authorities and society, he added, would not relent in pursuing those blamed for the unrest. “The Iranian nation will not let go of the domestic and international criminals behind this unrest,” Khamenei said.
