Protest death toll surges past 2000

The death toll from nationwide protests in Protesters starting fires during the demonstrations in Tehran last week.(AP) Protesters chant slogans in an anti-government protest in Tehran.(AP) A placard is placed on bricks which reads in Farsi: "Long live the Shah," referring to the Pahlavi dynasty which was toppled by 1979 Islamic Revolution.(AP) A protester holds up a poster showing Irans exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi as she demonstrates outside parliament in London.(AP) Iran has surpassed 2000 people, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on demonstrators . The number of dead climbed to at least 2003, as reported by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian state television offered the first official acknowledgment of the deaths, quoting an official saying the country had “a lot of martyrs” and that it did not release a toll earlier because of the dead suffering gruesome injuries. However, that statement came only after activists reported their toll. The demonstrations began a little over two weeks ago in anger over Iran’s ailing economy and soon targeted the theocracy, particularly 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Images obtained on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) from demonstrations in Tehran showed graffiti and chants calling for Khamenei's death - something that could carry a death sentence. Soon after the new death toll became public, US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” He added: “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” Trump did not give details. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired on Monday night, said he had continued to communicate with US envoy Steve Witkoff. But after Trump's message on Tuesday, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani responded by writing: “We declare the names of the main killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu." Death toll spikes The activist group said 1850 of the dead were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Nine children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 16,700 people have been detained, the group said. With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The AP has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures. Skylar Thompson with the Human Rights Activists News Agency told AP the new toll was shocking, particularly since it reached four times the death toll of the monthslong 2022 Mahsa Amini protests in just two weeks. She warned that the toll would still rise: “We’re horrified, but we still think the number is conservative." Speaking...

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