Around 2,000 killed in Iran protests, official says

Around 2,000 people, including security personnel, have been killed in protests in Iran, an Iranian official told news agency Reuters.

The official said those he described as terrorists were responsible for the deaths of both protesters and security personnel. The official, who declined to be named, did not provide a breakdown of the casualties.

Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief expressed horror at the mounting violence against protesters in Iran.

“This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality, and justice must be heard,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement read out by spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.

Asked to comment on the scale of the killings, Laurence, citing the UN’s own sources in Iran, said he could not provide a precise number but added: “The number that we’re hearing is hundreds.”

However, Iran’s intelligence agency said US arms and explosive equipment had been seized from “cell members” who had hidden the weapons in several homes in the country.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier announced that authorities have recordings of voices from abroad giving orders to protesters.

Iranian officials have accused the US and Israel of deploying “foreign agents” to the country to instigate violence, raising concerns that military force could potentially be used.

Source: Reuters, Al Jazeera