He referred to an internal document that he described as “truthful” but had yet to receive official confirmation from Western intelligence sources.
Prisons in Iran are overcrowded with detained protesters and lawyers are not allowed to defend them, Esterson said.
“People believe that some toxic chemical was used against the protesters, due to which some of the injured died within a few days. The number of dead and injured is very high,” he said.
Esterson stressed that the information needs official clarification, but raises serious concerns.
Context
On December 28, 2025, massive anti-government protests began in Iran amid economic problems in the country. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called the protesters “rebels” and called for a crackdown on the demonstrations. Clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement officers, which, as Reuters wrote, became the bloodiest in the last three years.
The media wrote on January 13, 2026 that 12 thousand protesters died in Iran, most of them in two days.
Earlier, on January 10, the Iranian army announced its readiness to join in the suppression of protests in the country. Iran's Prosecutor General threatened to execute protesters. On the same day, US President Donald Trump said that the United States was ready to come to the aid of Iran.
On January 13, Trump tweeted that “help is on the way.”
The WSJ reported on January 15 that anti-government protests have declined sharply in Iran due to government brutality against protesters.
