2026 Iran massacres

Prior to the 2025–26 protests, the higher ranges of numbers of deaths of protesters and the higher ranges of numbers of mass executions of political prisoners during events in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran have included 3,400 executions during the 1981–1982 Iran Massacres 72 protestor deaths during the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, 300–1,500 protestor deaths during the 2019–2020 protests, and 551 during the 2022–2023 Mahsa Amini protests. == Casualty estimates ==

Summary table Human rights organisations and independent media Based on verified reports and video footage, during the first seven days of protests, security forces made extensive use of live ammunition, tear gas and crowd-control weapons, and conducted violent arrests. The Guardian reported that at least three children were killed and over 40 minors were arrested during eight days of protests. According to HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, during the first ten days of nationwide protests, through to 6 January inclusive, at least 34 protesters were killed, and at least 2,076 citizens arrested in at least 285 locations. On 7 January, 13 protesters were killed, bringing the total to 45, per Iran Human Rights. On 8 January, at least 217 were killed in Tehran. As of 10 January, the internet blackout limited reporting on casualties. Iran International estimated on 10 January that at least 2,000 protesters had been killed by government forces over the previous 48 hours. According to the report, the mass killings took place during the 8th and 9th January, and were largely perpetrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and members of the Basij militia. One member of the security forces said that the goal was to kill as many people as possible. In a speech broadcast by Iranian state media on 17 January, Ali Khamenei said that "several thousand" people were killed during the protests in Iran. On 18 January, an Iranian official told Reuters that Iranian government estimates put the total death toll from the massacres at over 5,000. On 22 January, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran stated the number of civilians killed may surpass 20,000. On 22 January, HRANA updated its verified death counts to 4,714 adult protesters, 42 minors, 207 security force members, and 39 non-participants; and its count of deaths still under investigation to 9,798 people. NewsNation stated that its sources estimated the death count to be "closer to 30,000" than to HRANA's counts. The HRANA death count including deaths under investigation grew above 20,000 on 24 January, with counts of 5,149 adult protesters, 60 minors, 208 security force members, 42 non-participants, and 17,031 deaths under investigation, making 22,490 in total. HRANA stated that the overall level of repression was unprecedented. A count of 25,654 "clinically reported [protest-related] deaths" for dates "up to the [23rd of] January" was stated by a doctor, Amir Parasta, on the basis of medical records "verified by at least two individuals in each medical organization". Sky News published the count on 29 January. On 25 January, Time reported an estimate of roughly ~30,000 protesters killed on the 8th and 9th of January alone. Amir Parasta, described by Time as a German–Iranian surgeon, stated to Time a total of 30,304 protest-related deaths from hospital records, excluding protest-related deaths recorded in military hospitals, deaths where the body was taken directly to a morgue, and deaths recorded in hospitals absent from the list. Time also referred to two senior officials who stated to Time that ~30,000 "could have been killed", that the administration ran out of body bags, and that semi-trailer trucks were used instead of ambulances. On the same day, Iran International reported a series of official reports with death tolls to above 35,000. Reports to the Ministry of Interior on 20 January gave a count above 30,000. A report provided to the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Parliament gave a count of 27,500. Reports by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were of 33,000 on 22 January and 36,500 on 24 January. On 27 January, a "network of more than 80 medical professionals across 12 of Iran's 31 provinces" in contact with The Guardian estimated that based on their observations, less than 10% of deaths were being officially registered. They inferred that the total "could exceed 30,000". On 28 January, HRANA updated its verified death counts to 5,993 adult protesters, 113 minors, 214 security force members, and 53 non-participants; and its count of deaths still under investigation to 17,091 people. On 1 February, ''HRANA's'' verified death counts increased to 6,425 adult protesters, 146 minors, and 57 non-participants; while the security force death count remained at 214. The number of death cases still under investigation dropped to 11,280 names. On 23 February, HRANA published a detailed report, The Crimson Winter, based on the first 50 days of the protests, including a list of the names and other details of the 7007 confirmed deaths (6488 adult protesters, 236 minors, 207 security force members, and 76 non-participants), and 11,744 cases that remained under review. Iranian government On 22 January 2026, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) argued that Iranian government sources "ha[d] a documented and long-standing record of systematically underreporting deadly state violence". IHRNGO stated that based on verified executions of prisoners in Iran over the preceding five years, the official government figures only covered "an annual average of 12% of the executions recorded by IHRNGO". On 1 February, the Office of the President of Iran published a list of 2986 people killed in "recent incidents" out of the 3,117 that it had earlier stated as having been killed during the protests, stating that 131 identities were not yet determined. According to HRANA, the list was mostly unverifiable, due to "lack[ing] key information such as the time and place of death, the individual's status (protester, non-protester, or government-affiliated force), and a description of the circumstances". The Iran International editorial board stated on on the 3rd of February that it had prepared its own list of 6,634 protest-related deaths, based on documentation including the "victims' names, photographs, cities of residence, circumstances of death, and testimonies provided by families and relatives". Iran International stated that there were less than 100 names in common between the two lists, and described the government's list as "a shameful attempt to downplay the scale of the largest street massacre in Iran's contemporary history." == Planning of the massacres ==

General preparations According to a former Ministry of Interior official who had earlier been an IRGC member, long-term preparation for a massacre of the type that took place mainly on 8 and 9 January 2026 started in 2022. Plans included "marking and identifying elevated locations for sniper deployment", "ideological theoretical training and psychological preparation to kill, including firing final shots at protesters", and "training and educating criminal elements to play the role of leaders in gatherings, both to identify people and to steer street movements." According to IranWire, Ali Larijani helped mastermind the massacres, which were modeled on the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Specific orders Primary responsibility for the massacres was attributed by The New York Times (NYT) and Iran International to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to the NYT, Khamenei gave an order on 9 January to the Supreme National Security Council to "crush the protests by any means necessary". Iran International stated the Khamenei gave "a direct order" to carry out the killings and that "the heads of all three branches of government" had "explicit knowledge" and gave their approval for the order. Iran International stated that the Supreme National Security Council issued an order for live fire. Kazem stated that government security forces had removed valuables from banks and mosques and then set them on fire. He stated that he had "personally witnessed instructions to remove valuable items from a mosque before it was set on fire". == Nature ==

Types of atrocities Hengaw argued on 13 January 2026 that, based on its evidence, the massacres of protesters were crimes against humanity under customary international law and the Rome Statute, since they consisted of "government forces, acting within a coordinated, widespread, and systematic policy of repression, [committing] acts including the premeditated killing of civilian protesters... [and] the extensive and lethal use of force" resulting in "mass killings of protesters in various parts of" Iran, with 2,500 victims confirmed by Hengaw. On 24 January, Hengaw published another report, again stating that the killings constituted "clear instances" of crimes against humanity. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran stated that the evidence justified investigating the possibility that the killings of the protesters were crimes against humanity. She stated that the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran could be extended and that the fact-finding mission could investigate whether Ali Khamenei should be referred for investigation by the International Criminal Court. Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists called for the fact-finding mission to investigate the massacres and to be given sufficient resources for its investigation. On 19 January, Iran Human Rights called for the massacres to be investigated by the International Criminal Court. An emergency meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in relation to the protests was scheduled for 23 January. Three of those signing, Mehdi Mahmoudian, Abdollah Momeni, and Vida Rabbani, were arrested on 31 January. Direct order for live fire and killing of hospitalised protesters Sources close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council and the presidential office report that the killing of protesters was carried out on the direct order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with full approval from senior state officials. The council allegedly authorised live fire, which was executed mainly by the IRGC in what is described as a deliberate, organised operation exceptional in scale and intensity. On 13 January, The Guardian reported that Islamic Republic security forces were documented using shotguns and rifles with live ammunition, as well as heavy DShK machine guns against protesters, with a Tehran doctor stating that security forces were "shooting to kill", Further reports also indicated that the security forces used snipers and knives to attack protesters. A spokesperson from the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights cited evidence that even when using "less lethal" weapons, security forces were deliberately shooting at the heads, eyes, genitals and vital organs of the protesters, so as to terrorize protesters by mutilating them and causing them permanent disability, and in many cases execute, hospitalised protesters. with another similar assault being carried out by security forces on 6 January in Sina Hospital in Tehran. Iran Human Rights reported that in Rasht, security forces surrounded and trapped protesters inside the Rasht Bazaar, set it on fire, and killed people attempting to surrender or escape, while also "finishing off" wounded survivors in the streets and hospitals. Forces also blocked fire trucks from responding to the fire. On 31 January, The Wall Street Journal reported accounts of authorities executing injured protesters. On 11 February, The New Yorker reported that the regime forces targeted not only wounded protesters but also medical workers. Chemical weapons On 17 January, reports indicated the Iranian government may have used chemical weapons against protesters. Footage showed security forces atop vehicles wearing hazmat suits and masks designed for hazardous chemical materials. On 1 February, it was reported that the unknown substances that were being forcibly injected into the detainees had been linked to multiple deaths in custody. On 4 February, a group of human rights organizations called for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons. Internal propaganda and coercion The Iranian government has been accused of using footage of protesters' bodies in morgues to demoralise future protests and of leaving piles of bodies in what was described as an attempt to instill fear in protesters. Families trying to receive the bodies of their loved ones have oftentimes been forced to pay compensation for the bullets that killed their relatives. Reports stated that security forces and Revolutionary Guard members raided and intimidated the families of protesters who were killed, imposed restrictions on the retrieval and burial of bodies, and warned that families would be charged fees. There have been reports that families were unable to locate the remains of their relatives after authorities buried them in locations far from where the deaths occurred. Likewise, images and videos from the pro-government rallies were reported to have been altered. HRANA also reported cases of forced confessions being broadcast. Furthermore, doctors and healthcare workers were reported to have been arrested or disappeared for providing medical care to protesters or documenting their injuries. The Islamic Republic also pressured families of detainees to attend pro-government rallies planned for 22 Bahman (11 February), marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, telling them that only if they complied and attended would their detained relatives be spared execution or have their sentences reduced. As the number of injured increased, several media outlets and human rights organizations reported pressure being exerted on doctors and medical staff to prevent them from treating those wounded in the protests. IranWire reported that security agencies contacted or summoned some doctors and hospital administrators, threatening them and instructing them to refrain from treating injured protesters or to provide security authorities with information about injured individuals who sought medical care. According to IranWire, the purpose of these measures was to intimidate the medical community and prevent the dissemination of information regarding the number and condition of the injured. HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, reported the arrest of several doctors in connection with the January 2026 protests. Among those reported arrested were Hossein Zarrabian, a specialist physician in Isfahan, and Asghar Shakeri, a doctor in Mashhad. According to HRANA and IranWire, these arrests were carried out in response to the provision of medical assistance to individuals injured during the protests. In the statement, the use of pellet guns was identified as the primary cause of these injuries, and the targeting of protesters' eyes and faces was described as "completely unacceptable" and a clear instance of a "violation of human dignity." Recruitment of foreign militias The presence of state-sponsored foreign militias, namely the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Arabic-speaking mercenaries, Lebanese Hezbollah, the Pakistani Liwa Zainabiyoun, and the Afghan Liwa Fatemiyoun, in suppressing protests was reported. Iran International reported that on 2 January 2026, Iraqi militias affiliated with the Iranian government recruited forces to assist Iranian security forces in suppressing protests in Iran. On 9 January 2026, the United States warned Iran against using foreign militias to crush protests. According to The Media Line, Iraqi militia members were recruited to help suppress Iranian protesters, receiving $600 each. By 11 January, more than 60 buses, each carrying about 50 people, had crossed the Iran–Iraq border. On 14 January, a source told IHRNGO that the security forces in the Kurdish regions of Iran during the killings did not speak Persian, while in Karaj, an eyewitness said the forces spoke Arabic and took selfies with the bodies. Concealment of deaths through mass graves and burials On 27 January, The Guardian reported that the Islamic Republic was concealing protest deaths through mass graves and burials. Minors killed during protests According to a report by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations, the number of students who have lost their lives during the nationwide protests in Iran has exceeded 160. Persecution On 5 January 2026, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the judiciary in the Islamic Republic, stated that there would be no leniency for "rioters" despite the right to demonstrate, and the judiciary's Mizan news agency quoted him saying "I instruct the attorney general and prosecutors across the country to act in accordance with the law and with resolve against the rioters and those who support them (...) and to show no leniency or indulgence", Regarding the rapid trials and executions of protesters, Iran state television shared a video in which Mohseni-Ejei said, "If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly, if it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn't have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast." On 10 January, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the demands of protesters in the country are "completely fair", but "rioters" should "be put in their place". According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, as of 14 January 2026, over 18,400 people had been arrested. In its statement, the network detailed new orders from Khamenei instructing security forces "to deal harshly with protesters in recent gatherings" as well as separate statements from the Head of the Judiciary, the Attorney General of the country, and the Tehran Prosecutor calling for "extraordinary, out-of-order proceedings and the imposition of the most severe punishments in the cases of detained protesters". Torture and sexual violence On 18 January, The Guardian reported a rights group's claim that detainees were being subjected to torture and sexual assault while in custody, One of those detained was a minor. According to these accounts, security personnel subjected the detainees to sexualised physical mistreatment during their transfer, including beatings and the use of batons through their clothing and over their anal areas. Executions According to rights group HRANA, Iran carried out at least 52 executions during the protests between 5 and 14 January. According to the BBC, on 8 January 2026, clothes shop owner Erfan Soltani was arrested in his home for being connected with the protests in Fardis. He was denied a lawyer and his family was not notified of the charges brought against him. Several days later, Soltani was notified that he was to face execution on 14 January, less than a week after his arrest. however, Ali Salehi, State Prosecutor in Tehran, was seen on state television saying "Trump says a lot of nonsense and gibberish", and "Our reaction will be forceful, preventive and swift. Indictments have been issued for numerous cases and sent to courts." Government officials said on 18 January that it may proceed with executing people arrested during the protests. Iran's judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, stated that carrying out the sentences quickly would serve as a deterrent. On 17 January, another protester, 19-year-old Amirhossein Ghaderzadeh, was sentenced to death by hanging, with his execution scheduled for 21 January. On 20 January, reports circulated that the Iran Human Rights Society (IHRS) said that an Iranian conscript named Javid Khales had been sentenced to death after refusing an order to fire on protesters and that he was being held in Isfahan Prison, though this has not been independently verified. On 22 January, 33-year-old Ali Rahbar was reportedly executed in Mashhad, becoming one of the first protesters to be executed. Iran's judiciary denied his execution having taken place, stating that such a person had not even been detained. On 23 January, Mohammad Abbasi, a protester from Malard was sentenced to death, and his daughter was sentenced to 25 years in jail. According to activists, human rights advocates, and foreign intelligence, the Islamic Republic secretly executed jailed protesters while disguising the deaths as protest casualties and suicides. There were also reports of detainees being injected with unknown substances, leading to their deaths. On 9 February, it was reported that the Islamic Republic was pressuring the families of detainees to attend pro-government rallies planned for 22 Bahman (11 February), marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, telling them that only if they complied and attended would their detained relatives be spared execution or have their sentences reduced. A 19-year-old protester was reported to have been shot in the head after spending approximately a month in custody. On 16 February, an Iranian court sentenced fourteen protesters to death in a court case held online. On 16 February, it was also reported that the Islamic Republic had issued death sentences for at least sixteen detained protesters, with multiple detainees stating they had been tortured and were compelled to sign forced confessions. On 18 February, an Iranian court sentenced to death three brothers from Shahinshahr who had been arrested during the protests. On 20 February, another seven protesters - including a 19-year old - were sentenced to death. Norway-based rights group Hengaw stated the cases are marred by due process violations. Reports also indicated detained protesters were being brutally tortured and raped before being killed in prison, including women's bodies being returned to their families with missing wombs in order to hide the crimes. On 2 April, another protester, 18-year-old Amir Hossein Hatami, was executed. On 5 April, two more protesters were executed. Treatment of corpses On 14 December 2025, citizen journalist and internet activist Vahid Online shared videos and photos from Saturday, 10 January 2026, on his Telegram and X accounts. These records showed numerous bodies of protest victims at the Kahrizak morgue in Tehran, as well as hundreds of grieving families searching for, identifying, and attempting to claim the remains of their loved ones. In these videos, the bodies of hundreds of men in black bags are seen in several sheds and buildings of the Kahrizak morgue, as well as on the ground in the outdoor area. Only some of them have been identified; several bodies show gunshot wounds to the head, abdomen, and chest. In one video, photos of the bodies and the names of the deceased are visible on a monitor—apparently belonging to the morgue's computer system—while another video shows a truck from which people are unloading corpses. One notable detail in these videos is the absence of female victims, who, according to information in the footage, are kept in a separate hall. In one segment, a member of the medical staff mentions that before the bodies of women are released, the uterus must be opened, which appears to be a routine procedure for issuing death certificates. According to estimates by HRANA, there were approximately 250 bodies in the Kahrizak morgue alone. According to reports and witness testimonies, the bodies of protesters were treated in an inhuman and degrading manner. Corpses were dumped from refrigerated trucks onto the ground and often piled on top of each other. On 27 February, a family received the body of a protester who had been missing for about 50 days. The body had signs of gunshots and strikes from a butcher's cleaver. == Timeline ==

The protests began peacefully on 28 December, following the closure of shops in Tehran due to unease at economic conditions. On 30 December, which was the third day of protests, three protesters were killed: Amirhesam Khodayarifard from Kuhdasht, from Fuladshahr, and from Marvdasht. On the fourth day, which was 31 December, seven protesters were killed during the demonstrations, including 28-year-old barber Shayan Asadollahi. The next day, 1 January, funeral ceremonies were held in Kuhdasht, Fuladshahr, and Marvdasht under severe scrutiny of security forces while nationwide protests continued. Circulated video footage showed a protester lying in the street in Qom with severe chest and arm injuries; the video was widely shared and described as showing a protester killed by a grenade. The following day, 2 January, during protests in Malekshahi, Ilam province, at least five people were killed by gunfire from security forces, and at least 30 others were hospitalized, several in critical condition. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran expressed concern over the killing of eight protesters during recent demonstrations. A later report by Hengaw stated that Ali Azizi Jafarabadi, a 42-year-old Kurd with a wife and two children, had been shot by government security forces. On 8 January, the protest situation intensified, with a major internet blackout obstructing the reporting of injuries and deaths. Six hospitals in Tehran recorded 217 deaths of protesters, mostly as a result of shots from live ammunition. In a protest in Kermanshah, five protesters were killed by gunfire by government security forces and ten members of the Kermanshah Nabi Akram Corps were killed. The following day, 9 January, hospitals in Iran were mostly in crisis mode trying to handle injured and dead protesters. In Rasht, 70 bodies arrived at 2026 Rasht massacre at Poursina Hospital in Gilan province. On 10 January, Iran International estimated that 2,000 protesters had been killed over the preceding 48 hours. As reports started emerging about the numbers of protesters killed since the 8 January internet cutoff, Al Monitor described the killings as constituting "a 'massacre, based on human rights organisations' reports. Activists estimated that at least 538 protesters had been killed. HRANA counted 483 confirmed protester deaths, one prosecutor death, 47 security force deaths, and 579 deaths that HRANA was still investigating. The Center for Human Rights in Iran estimated 490 protester deaths as of 11 January. The Washington Post described the Center for Human Rights in Iran as "[having] a record of issuing conservative estimates of deaths in previous protests". On 12 January, Time quoted an estimate by a group of Iranian expatriate academics and professionals of a possible total of 6,000 protester deaths up to and including 10 January, excluding those of protesters whose bodies were taken directly to morgues, and not to hospitals. Reports indicating that the massacres, as a whole, are likely the largest Iranian massacre in the twenty-first century emerged on 13 January. HRANA updated its count of confirmed protester deaths to 2,403, including 12 minors, it updated the security force death count to 147, and counted nine deaths of people who were neither protesters nor military personnel. An unnamed Iranian official told Reuters that the number of deaths of protesters and security forces together was 2,000. The official claimed that both the protesters and security forces had been killed by terrorists. IHRNGO reported its own confirmed account of 3,379 protesters killed from 8 to 12 January, and 3,428 in total, most of whom were under the age of 30. IHRNGO stated that the Iran International estimate of 12,000 protester deaths and CBS estimate of possibly 20,000 were difficult to verify because of the Internet cutoff, and that IHRNGO was working to verify the reports. IHRNGO stated that the killings in Karaj in Alborz province were carried out with DShK machine guns. Witnesses said that the perpetrators "were speaking Arabic" and that the perpetrators took selfie photos with the bodies. One of IHRNGO's sources stated that the security forces in the Kurdish regions of Iran during the killings did not speak Persian. The second wave of protests began on 21 February, led by students at several universities. On 13 March, the IRGC threatened a crackdown bigger than the one in January if protests restarted. == Disinformation ==

False Basij membership: Amirhesam Khodayarifard One of the first government claims of a killed protester having been a Basij member during these protests was the case of Amirhesam Khodayarifard. On 31 December 2025, Amirhesam Khodayarifard, born in 2004, was participating in one of the protests, in the city of Kuhdasht. The group of protesters had spent hours peacefully demonstrating and chanting against the government. The crowd moved towards Imam Square, where a statue of Ruhollah Khomeini is located. Stones were thrown at the statue. Basij, police officers and plainclothes security officers started firing their weapons. Worldwide media reported the government's Basij member claim widely. Iran International stated on 2 January 2026 that Khodayarifard's funeral had been held on 1 January in Kuhdasht amid a heavy security presence, and that the ceremony had taken place in a tense atmosphere, with pressure and disruptions from security forces and government-affiliated agents. On 5 January, IranWire stated that Khodayarifard's body had not yet been returned to his family. ==Analysis==

The New York Times viewed the scale of the 2026 massacres as the greatest in "many decades", and as a sign that Iranian government leaders viewed the existence of the Islamic Republic regime to be at risk. An analysis from The Guardian viewed Iranian elites as showing signs of dissent against the massacres and other repressive measures, suggesting that the repression was having an unstabilising rather than stabilising effect on the political system. Amnesty International reported that security forces, including the IRGC and police, used live ammunition, metal pellet shotguns, tear gas, and beatings, and noted that a nationwide internet blackout from 8 January hindered independent monitoring of the events. Human Rights Watch described a coordinated escalation in the use of lethal force and mass killings across multiple provinces, emphasizing that these actions targeted protesters even in areas where no immediate threat existed. In an article for The Atlantic published following the killing of Khamenei, Karim Sadjadpour portrayed the massacres as "one of the deadliest episodes of state violence in modern history." A study has indicated that members of the Iranian diaspora were deeply affected by the massacres despite being far away physically and it had a major effect on their lives as a whole. ==Reactions==

Iranian government A supposed state affiliated analyst has defended the killings, framing them as a 'holy duty'. The Supreme Leader of Iran however acknowledged these deaths and said that 'thousands were killed in an inhumane and savage manner' which he blames it upon the rioters and US-Israeli agents. IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi claimed that "foreign agents" instructed protesters to shoot each other in order to increase the death count and increase the chances of an American attack. On 23 February 2026, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, and he called for the release of those arrested solely for protesting and social helplessness. He also emphasized the need for clear and credible explanations of the incidents, identifying the culprits, halting arrests, summonses, and the issuance of inappropriate verdicts against intellectuals, artists, and political activists. The former president of Iran expressed hope that university issues would be resolved with wisdom and calm, without political, security, or social violence. He also regarded the upcoming negotiations between Iran and the U.S. as important and expressed hope that these talks would lead to a reduction in the problems and threats faced by the people of Iran and the region. Contrary to the goals of regional adversaries, Khatami hoped that a path of peace, progress, and regional security would be pursued. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemned the killings and called for an independent investigation into the events. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said that the Iranian regime "must be held accountable" for the massacres. Eyewitness accounts and other Iranian reactions Eyewitness accounts described the crackdown with words such as "war situation," "massacre," "bloodbath," and "apocalypse." A group of Iranian reformists called for an independent investigation into the death toll. A group of more than 90 Iranian cultural figures based abroad condemned the killings and warned of the possibility that detainees might be executed. Abroad US President Donald Trump encouraged protesters, and threatened several times to strike Iran if the Iranian security forces continued to kill protesters. During the 2026 State of the Union Address, Trump said that 32,000 protesters had been killed. During the 2026 Iran war, Trump said that those involved in perpetrating the massacres would be "tried and executed." Trump said that regime change would happen, but "maybe not immediately," citing the massacres as one of the major obstacles. Following Pope Leo's criticism of the Iran war, Trump called on the pope to call out Iran for the massacre of "42,000 unarmed protesters." The European Union and Ukraine designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization in response to the crackdown on protesters. The United Kingdom is expected to follow suit. The Australian government imposed sanctions on twenty Iranian people and three organizations in response to the Iranian government's "horrific use of violence against its own people." The Australian Senate also passed a motion condemning the crackdown on protesters. The British government also sanctioned ten Iranian people as well as the security forces group. European countries including Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom, have summoned their Iranian ambassador to condemn the killings. Canada's foreign ministry condemned the killing of protesters and the use of violence after a video emerged showing a car running over protesters. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution condemning the widespread violence. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that he was "shocked" by reports of excessive violence by Iranian forces and said that the right to protest must be protected. == See also ==