Washington/Tehran – The death toll from ongoing nationwide protests in Iran has climbed to 4,029 confirmed fatalities, according to the latest update released on Monday, January 20, 2026, by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The figure marks a significant escalation in the human cost of the unrest, which entered its 23rd day amid widespread reports of severe repression by security forces.
HRANA, a Washington, D.C.-headquartered press association founded by Iranian human rights advocates in 2009, compiles data from eyewitness accounts, medical sources, family testimonies, and visual evidence despite severe restrictions on information flow inside Iran. The organization reported that, as of January 20, at least 26,015 individuals have been arrested nationwide. Additionally, 5,811 people have sustained severe injuries during clashes, many requiring long-term medical care. HRANA noted that thousands more deaths remain under review, with the total potentially far higher due to ongoing communications blackouts and limited access to verification.
The protests erupted on December 28, 2025, initially centered at Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, one of the world's oldest and largest covered markets. Merchants and shopkeepers there staged strikes and demonstrations in response to the dramatic depreciation of the Iranian rial, which hit record lows against the US dollar—trading at over 1.4 million rials to one dollar in late December. The currency collapse exacerbated already acute economic pressures, including hyperinflation (officially over 42% annually, with some estimates higher), soaring prices for essentials like food, fuel, and imported goods, widespread unemployment, and energy shortages that led to repeated blackouts.
What began as economic grievances quickly morphed into broader anti-government demonstrations. Protesters across dozens of cities chanted slogans calling for regime change, an end to clerical rule, and accountability for corruption and mismanagement. The unrest spread rapidly to provinces including Lorestan, Ilam, Fars, Kermanshah, Esfahan, and others, encompassing urban centers, universities, and rural areas. By early January 2026, demonstrations had engulfed over 30 provinces and more than 100 cities, marking one of the most widespread challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
Iranian authorities have responded with a heavy-handed crackdown, including the deployment of riot police, Basij militias, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units. Security forces have been accused of using live ammunition, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, tear gas, and other crowd-control measures against largely unarmed crowds. Reports from witnesses and leaked videos describe indiscriminate shootings, beatings in detention, and forced disappearances. A near-total nationwide internet blackout imposed around January 8 has severely hampered independent reporting, social media coordination, and access to global news, reminiscent of tactics used during previous unrest in 2019 and 2022.
Iranian officials have consistently denied excessive force, instead blaming the violence on "armed rioters," "terrorists," and foreign-backed elements, particularly the United States and Israel. State media and spokespersons have claimed that many deaths resulted from clashes involving armed groups or security personnel defending public order. An Iranian official cited in regional reports stated that authorities had verified at least 5,000 deaths, including around 500 security personnel, attributing the toll to "innocent Iranians" killed by rioters.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the situation publicly for the first time in mid-January, acknowledging that "several thousand" had been killed—some in what he described as "inhuman, savage" ways—and placing blame on external powers, particularly the US. President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned of harsher responses to any perceived foreign interference while attempting limited economic relief measures, such as food coupon distributions, though these have failed to stem the protests.
Internationally, the crisis has drawn sharp condemnation. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency briefing in mid-January at the request of the United States, with UN officials expressing alarm over excessive force and calling for restraint, accountability, and restoration of communications. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged an end to violent repression and full internet access. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights (based in Norway), have documented specific incidents of killings, including children and bystanders, and called for investigations into potential crimes against humanity.
Other estimates vary widely due to the information blackout. Some activist groups and media outlets, citing hospital sources and anonymous doctors, have suggested figures ranging from 12,000 to 20,000 deaths, particularly during intense crackdown phases in early January. HRANA's conservative, verified count of 4,029 places it among the lower ends of activist-reported tolls but still represents the deadliest protest wave in decades, surpassing previous episodes like the 2019 fuel protests (hundreds killed) and the 2022 Mahsa Amini demonstrations (over 500 confirmed).
The economic backdrop remains dire. The rial's collapse followed years of sanctions, mismanagement, regional setbacks—including the fall of allied regimes—and domestic energy crises. Annual inflation spiked further in late 2025, eroding savings and pushing many into poverty. The bazaar merchants' initial strike symbolized a rare alignment between traditional economic elites and broader discontent.
As the protests appear to have quieted in recent days—likely due to repression, arrests, and fear—analysts warn that underlying grievances persist. With thousands detained, including prominent figures, and families searching for missing loved ones at morgues and detention centers, the situation remains volatile. HRANA and others continue monitoring, emphasizing that the full scale of the tragedy may only emerge once communications are restored and independent investigations are possible.
The ongoing crisis underscores deep fractures in Iranian society, pitting economic despair and demands for reform against a regime determined to maintain control. As global attention focuses on potential UN Human Rights Council action, the coming weeks will test whether the crackdown has permanently subdued dissent or merely delayed an inevitable reckoning.
