Iran’s Uprising Persists as Death Toll Mounts Under Blackout

Despite a near-total internet and telephone blackout imposed by the authorities, videos and reports emerged indicating that protests continued across Iran on January 11, 2026, as harrowing accounts of civilian deaths shocked Iranians and audiences worldwide. Estimates of protesters killed by security forces ranged from more than 500 to as many as 3,000, though precise figures remain impossible to verify amid strict government control of information.

The Associated Press reported at least 544 deaths, while Iran Human Rights cited an estimate of 2,000 protesters killed. Social media users have put the figure even higher, at up to 3,000. During the nationwide protests of 2019, security forces killed at least 1,500 demonstrators, according to a Reuters report published that year.

Amid reports of U.S. Air Force preparations in the Middle East, Washington so far has refrained from acting against the Islamic Republic, despite repeated warnings by President Donald Trump that intervention would follow mass killings of protesters. In a surprise remark on January 11, Trump told reporters, “I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate.” Any delay in U.S. action buys valuable time for a government that is overstretched and struggling to contain unrest. As casualties mount and winter conditions take their toll, prolonged inaction risks exhausting protesters in the absence of external pressure on the security forces.

Former hostage in Iran Kylie Moore-Gilbert warned on X that Washington should not be drawn into last-minute gestures by Tehran. “Hoping Trump won’t fall for predictable eleventh-hour efforts by the Islamic Republic regime to pretend they are suddenly interested in vague notions of negotiation,” she wrote, adding that the greatest danger for Iranians would be the imposition of a “Venezuela-style ‘solution’” that preserves the system after cosmetic changes.

In a message addressed to Iranians, exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi said the past two weeks of mass demonstrations—especially the surge in recent days—had shaken the foundations of the Islamic Republic and marked the beginning of a new phase in what he described as a national uprising to overthrow the system. Citing what he called a public mandate following calls for his return, Pahlavi urged protesters inside Iran to take and hold key streets and to treat regime propaganda and communications institutions as legitimate targets. He also called on state employees and members of the security forces to choose between siding with the public or remaining complicit in repression.

Addressing Iranians abroad, Pahlavi urged them to reclaim embassies and consulates as national property and replace the Islamic Republic’s flag with Iran’s historic Lion and Sun emblem. Pahlavi argued that the authorities’ intensified use of force reflected weakness rather than strength and warned against allowing the leadership time to regroup.

Large demonstrations also took place outside Iran, including in Los Angeles, Washington, Toronto, and London. In London and Australia, protesters pulled down Islamic Republic flags and replaced them with Iran’s traditional Lion and Sun flag.

Images of morgues circulated online despite the internet shutdown, showing dozens of bodies. Iranian activists said the release of such images appeared intended to intimidate the population.

State television has consistently labeled protesters as “terrorists” allegedly armed by foreign enemies, using this narrative to justify repression and warn against foreign intervention. Footage of attacks on mosques and government buildings has been broadcast as evidence of these claims. Protesters counter that mosques in Iran often function as operational bases for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Basij militia and that some were targeted because detained demonstrators reportedly were held inside.

An Iranian activist in Sweden said that in parts of Isfahan province, protesters seized and set fire to all government and religious buildings and banks, sparing only medical facilities and fire stations. There are also reports that more than eighty members of the security forces and officials involved in coordinating repression have been eliminated by revolutionary groups in various parts of the country.

Iranian organizations and activist networks have warned that the government may begin executing detained protesters as early as January 14. The names of several individuals have been announced.

The Islamic Republic so far has failed to suppress protests involving millions of people across dozens of locations. While fearful of possible U.S. or Israeli intervention, the authorities appear to be counting on buying time to reorganize their forces, wear down public resistance, and reassert control over the narrative. Many dissidents—including some who are not supporters of Pahlavi—now see outside intervention as the only way to prevent further atrocities and provide protesters with critical breathing space.