Iran protest death toll reaches 16,500: doctors’ report
At least 16,500 protesters have been killed and 330,000 injured during Iran’s ongoing unrest, according to a report compiled by doctors inside the country and cited by The Sunday Times. The staggering figures, made public as Iranian Americans continue to rally outside the White House, have intensified criticism of President Donald Trump, whom many protesters blame for encouraging them to take to the streets before backing away from promised military intervention.
Protesters Say Trump “Betrayed” Them
The sense of betrayal among Iranians stems from the gap between Trump’s early encouragement and his subsequent reversal. On January 2, Trump declared on Truth Social that the U.S. was “locked and loaded and ready to go” if Iran harmed peaceful demonstrators. When he later posted that “help is on its way” and the Pentagon ordered some non-essential personnel to leave its largest Middle East air base, Iranians interpreted the moves as preparation for intervention.
Millions took to the streets on January 8, following calls from exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and opposition groups. The regime responded with extreme violence, first disconnecting the nation from the internet, then deploying security forces who used live ammunition against crowds.
On Thursday, Trump announced that Iran’s regime had assured him it would stop the killings, signaling that anticipated U.S. military action would not proceed. For protesters who risked their lives believing Washington would intervene, the announcement came as a shock.
“Trump is also responsible for the death of these 15,000,” a Tehran businessman told TIME magazine. “He’s not only yellow on the outside, he’s also yellow inside,” an arts teacher in the capital said.
Competing Death Tolls Emerge
The doctors’ report cited by The Sunday Times is the highest estimate yet, though the near-total internet blackout has made independent verification difficult. Professor Amir Parasta, an Iranian-German surgeon who helped coordinate the medical network behind the report, said doctors documented widespread use of military-grade weapons, with many injuries involving gunshot wounds to the head, neck, and chest.
On Saturday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly acknowledged for the first time that “several thousand” people died during the protests, blaming Trump and Israel for the bloodshed. An Iranian security official told Reuters that authorities had verified at least 5,000 deaths. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimates over 3,300 confirmed deaths and more than 24,000 arrests.
What Comes Next
The protests, which began in late December over economic grievances including currency devaluation and soaring prices, have now largely gone underground. Some Iranians still hold hope that Trump’s reversal is tactical. “He is tricking the regime,” an engineer in Tehran told TIME. “He’ll attack, and attack hard”.
Others have lost faith entirely. “Right now the uprising is paralyzed,” said a resident of Zirab. “I don’t know if it will ever recover”.
Photo Credit: Nizzan Cohen, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons