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THE Iranian government has once again attributed the killings of thousands during last month’s nationwide protests to “terrorists,” even as international human rights experts and the United States dispute official figures and warn of a looming humanitarian crisis.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that the government has released a list of 3,117 people described as “victims of recent terrorist operation,” including around 200 security personnel.
“If anyone disputes accuracy of our data, please share any evidence,” Al-Jazeera cited Araghchi writing on X, reiterating previous claims that 690 individuals on the list were “terrorists” armed and funded by the US and Israel.
Araghchi’s statements came hours after US President Donald Trump told reporters that 32,000 people were killed during the protests, asserting that “the people of Iran have lived in hell” under the country’s theocratic leadership.
He has also been engaging with multiple US media outlets to advocate for a “fair” agreement with Washington regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. Meanwhile, Serbia became the latest country to urge its citizens to leave Iran immediately, highlighting fears of escalating conflict.
The true scale of the crackdown remains uncertain. United Nations special rapporteur Mai Sato has suggested that over 20,000 civilians may have died, although information is limited due to heavy internet filtering and a nationwide communications blackout imposed six weeks ago.
The US-based HRANA group reports more than 7,000 deaths with nearly 12,000 additional cases under investigation.
Sato and 29 other international human rights experts issued a joint statement on Friday demanding that Iranian authorities disclose the fate of tens of thousands of detainees, forcibly disappeared individuals, and those missing following the protests, and halt all related executions.
“The true scale of the violent crackdown on Iranian protesters remains impossible to determine at this point,” the experts said.
“The discrepancy between official figures and grassroots estimates only deepens the anguish of families searching for their loved ones and displays a profound disregard for human rights and accountability.”
They added that most detainees or victims are ordinary civilians, including children, from all provinces and diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, along with Afghan nationals, lawyers representing protesters, medical professionals, journalists, artists, and human rights defenders.
State media have faced accusations of broadcasting forced confessions, most recently when Mizan News Agency released footage of three men expressing regret for allegedly setting fire to motorcycles, a mosque, and copies of the Quran during unrest in Tehran.
Schools and universities have reopened in parts of the country, with reports of student clashes at Tehran’s Sharif University, where protesters confronted paramilitary Basij students affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Heightened security measures remain in place in classrooms and dormitories, with teachers in several cities staging strikes to protest the deaths of at least 230 children and teenagers.
Meanwhile, families of the deceased have staged their own defiant commemorations across Iran, marking 40 days since the killings.
Many have held ceremonies featuring drums, cymbals, clapping, and even dancing, openly challenging the religious rituals promoted by the state.
“May your pen break, O fate, if you do not write about that which befell us,” said the father of Abolfazl MirAeez, 33, who was killed in Gorgan, Golestan province. “My son was neither a rioter, nor an embezzler nor an aghazadeh [child of an elite]. He was the son of a farmer.”
These public acts of remembrance underscore the deepening divide between ordinary Iranians and the theocratic establishment, as questions over accountability and the real death toll continue to reverberate globally. - February 22, 2026