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London’s Metropolitan Police said a protest outside the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Kensington turned violent, with four officers injured and 14 people arrested on Friday night/Saturday, January 17, 2026. Iranian International’s correspondent Tajeddin Soroush , who was on the scene, reported details of the confrontation between police and demonstrators.
Marzieh Mohabbi, a lawyer, told Iran International that scattered but alarming reports from inside Iran suggest mass detentions during the latest protests could range from roughly 20,000 to 50,000 people, though she stressed the internet shutdown and severe communications disruption make any precise figure impossible to verify. She said the current situation has “blurred the line between life and death,” accusing the Islamic Republic of widespread street killings despite international legal and human-rights obligations. Mohabbi also cited reports of bodies accumulating in multiple cities and burials being obstructed, alleging that in Mashhad some information indicates authorities have transported bodies by truck to sites for mass graves. She argued the arrests serve multiple aims—from torture and extracting intelligence to identifying protest networks, hostage-taking, instilling fear, and, in some cases, the physical elimination of individuals without any judicial process.
Iranian outlet ANA reported that Iran’s wrestling team is likely to miss Croatia’s ranking tournament after the Islamic Republic’s nationwide internet blackout disrupted visa processing. The report said Croatia visa procedures have been halted, raising the risk that Iran cannot attend the first ranking event of 2026. Iran’s authorities have kept internet access fully cut since Thursday, January 8, 2026 (18 Dey 1404), coinciding with Prince Reza Pahlavi’s first call to mobilize.
Following European travel warnings urging nationals to leave Iran amid escalating unrest, Iranian media reported that Dragan Skočić’s foreign assistants at Tractor have terminated their contracts and left the club. ANA said the departing staff include three Croatian coaches and one Slovenian. Earlier, Fars reported Tractor’s failure to travel to Qazvin for a Hazfi Cup match was linked to Skočić and Croatian staff refusing to leave their Tabriz accommodation after an alert from the Croatian embassy. Separately, Tasnim reported on Saturday, January 17 (27 Dey) that Nuno Morais—Esteghlal’s coach and Ricardo Sá Pinto’s first assistant—also ended his contract with the Tehran club.
Reports say Reza, a 37-year-old Tehran resident born in October 1988 and living in Marzdaran, was killed by direct fire during the January 8 protests (18 Dey) in Aryashahr, as accounts of unusually severe repression continue to circulate. According to information received, he attended the protests with five friends; after one of them was shot, Reza reportedly returned to help and was then targeted by a security-linked rooftop sniper. The reports claim he was hit by six live rounds and died at the scene, and that two other people in the group were also killed during the same assault. Reza reportedly ran a cabinet-making workshop in Aryashahr and was said to be preparing for marriage; his mother said he handed her his phone, passcode, and car keys before leaving home and asked forgiveness. Witness messages further allege security forces were given authorization to use “direct fire” and “finishing shots” against protesters.
Mehdi Nakhl Ahmadi, a journalist and political activist, told Iran International that at least 30 independent human rights organizations have warned about the situation of those detained during the latest protests, saying the detainees include peaceful protesters as well as journalists and political, civil, and human-rights activists. He argued the Islamic Republic is again pushing a familiar narrative that frames protesters as “violent” or tied to foreign governments—an approach he said has intensified after Ali Khamenei’s remarks again blaming the U.S. for the unrest, potentially laying the groundwork for a broader crackdown and harsher treatment of detainees.
With repression intensifying across Iran, messages received by Iran International claim the number of people killed is rising and that in some towns “nearly every family” has lost someone or has at least one relative detained or injured. In Izeh, one account said at least five people—including a 15-year-old girl—were killed on the night of January 8 (18 Dey), amid reports of de facto curfew conditions after 5 p.m., rooftop snipers, and armed forces present even inside side streets. In Khorramabad, residents report heavy security deployments in the Karim Khan area and alleged large-scale transfers of bodies to medical facilities, while in Borujerd messages describe severe curfew-like measures, raids on homes, and reports of deaths and arrests. In Bam, one source claimed more than 100 arrests and about 10 deaths during January 8–9 (18–19 Dey), with families saying they have no information on detainees’ whereabouts and that at least one family was told authorities would handle the burial. Reports from Arak allege morgue capacity at “Behesht Zahra” was overwhelmed, and in Qazvin eyewitnesses said protesters were fired on from rooftops.
A Tehran doctor said security personnel stationed in a hospital mocked an injured patient by telling him, “Tell the Prince to come remove the pellets from your body,” as reports continue of intensified security control over medical centers following the crackdown. The account underscores growing claims that hospitals and treatment facilities are being used to monitor, intimidate, and manage protest-related injuries.
Sahar Tahvili, a researcher in IT and AI, told Iran International that Iran’s recent “managed” internet on-and-off disruptions appear to be part of a deliberate repression strategy aimed at controlling narratives, rather than restoring full nationwide access. She said the evidence points to a push for a “tiered internet” model coupled with cyber psychological operations, including organized pro-government cyber groups—especially active on X—using coordinated posts, images, and messaging to portray the country as “normal” and suggest protests have ended. Tahvili argued the effort is designed to weaken protesters’ on-the-ground accounts and sever the public’s connection to street-level realities.
Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, echoed Iranian officials by attributing Iran’s protests to the United States and Israel, arguing Washington does not want a “free system.” He said he views the Islamic Republic’s leadership as “strong and steadfast,” adding that Iran would remain a frontline of the so-called “resistance.” The term “Axis of Resistance” is used by Iranian officials and aligned media to refer to Tehran-backed armed groups in the region, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, and Yemen’s Houthis.
Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown is “aligned with common international practices,” without specifying which international standards would justify a broad cutoff. Separately, Fars—another IRGC-linked outlet—reported that private chats and group activity on social platforms will be enabled only on domestic messaging apps.
Meraj Tehrani, described by Iran International as an eyewitness to Iran’s national uprising, said in an interview that large crowds filled the streets and alleged an “unlimited massacre” by the Islamic Republic during the protests. Tehrani reportedly left the country after the January 8–9 demonstrations (18–19 Dey).