The toll of protests in Iran has reached 5,000 dead. Signal from the judicial system that a wave of executions is coming
Iranian women holding portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the funeral of members of the security forces killed in recent protests in Tehran on January 14, 2026. PHOTO: ATTA KENARE / AFP / Profimedia
At least 5,000 people have been killed in protests in Iran, including around 500 members of the security forces, an Iranian official said on Sunday, citing verified figures and blaming “terrorists and armed rioters” for killing “innocent Iranians”, according to Reuters.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that “we will not drag the country into a war, but we will not let domestic or international criminals go unpunished.
and on Sunday a judicial official hinted that a wave of executions could take place.
“A number of actions have been identified as Mohareb, which are among the most severe Islamic punishments,” Iranian judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told a news conference.
Mohareb, an Islamic legal term meaning to wage war against God, is punishable by death under Iranian law.
Iranian cleric calls for execution of protesters after Ayatollah Khamenei vows to 'break the backs of rebels'
Nationwide protests broke out on December 28 over economic hardship and spread over two weeks, turning into large-scale demonstrations calling for the end of the country's religious leadership, resulting in the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene if protesters continue to be killed in the streets or executed.
In a social media post on Friday, he thanked Tehran's leaders, saying they had canceled the scheduled mass executions.
The US-based human rights group HRANA said on Saturday that the death toll had reached 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under investigation. The group said it had confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.
