Over 5,000 Dead in Iran as Regime Threatens Mass Executions Amid Crackdown

The Iranian regime has unleashed the deadliest crackdown in decades, with at least 5,000 people confirmed dead including 500 security personnel as protests calling for the end of clerical rule continue to be met with brutal force. The figures, disclosed by an Iranian official on Sunday, are among the clearest indicators yet of the regime's willingness to preserve power through mass bloodshed.

Nationwide unrest erupted on December 28, sparked by crippling economic conditions and quickly morphing into widespread calls to end the Islamic Republic altogether. It’s the most violent uprising since the 1979 revolution that established the current regime and this time, the people aren’t backing down easily.

While the Ayatollahs claim the deaths are the work of “terrorists and armed rioters,” eyewitnesses and videos verified by international media tell a different story: riot police shooting unarmed demonstrators, beatings in the streets, and reports of summary detentions with little to no due process.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly condemned the violence, warning Tehran of consequences if the regime proceeds with plans to execute detained protesters. On Friday, Trump took to social media to thank Iranian leaders for reportedly halting the execution of 800 people, though Tehran’s judiciary now appears to be walking back that pause.

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump told Politico on Saturday, reaffirming his stance that the regime’s days are numbered.

Yet the response from Iran’s Supreme Leader was defiant. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Trump a 'criminal' and accused the U.S. and Israel of fueling the protests. He admitted that “several thousand deaths” had occurred but, as usual, shifted blame to external enemies.

Meanwhile, Iran’s judiciary hinted that executions could still move forward, using the charge of Mohareb “waging war against God” which under Islamic law carries the death penalty.

Iran continues to blame outside forces chiefly the U.S. and Israel for the unrest, claiming Kurdish separatists attempted to cross the border from Iraq and that armed provocateurs infiltrated protest crowds. But even Iranians on the ground are skeptical of the regime’s spin.

“I am against this regime and have taken part in protests,” one anonymous Iranian said, “but I witnessed some armed individuals disguised as protesters shooting at civilians. They were not ordinary protesters.”

These incidents, while serious, are being used by the regime as a cover to justify the sweeping violence against peaceful demonstrators, many of them young Iranians who’ve known nothing but tyranny.

According to U.S.-based rights group HRANA, the death toll has reached 3,308 confirmed fatalities, with over 24,000 arrests and another 4,382 cases under investigation. Reports indicate the heaviest violence is occurring in the Kurdish northwest, where resistance to the regime has always been strong.

Getting reliable information out of Iran remains difficult. Internet access has been intermittently blacked out across the country, a standard tactic used by the regime to silence dissent and prevent the world from seeing its atrocities. NetBlocks confirmed that limited access on Saturday was short-lived and the blackout was later reimposed.

Foreign visitors caught in the unrest have painted a grim picture. “I saw a violent mob burning buildings, banks, and cars,” said Faizan Ali, a doctor from Pakistan who was visiting family in Isfahan. “I also witnessed an individual stab a passer-by.”

But for most Iranians, the bigger threat is not from rogue actors or foreign interference it’s from their own government.

While Joe Biden remains largely silent and the UN dithers, Trump is once again standing with the Iranian people, making it clear that American leadership will not sit back while a regime massacres its own citizens. The question now is whether the rest of the world will follow suit or continue appeasing a regime soaked in blood.

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