2026/01/22Iran Human Rights: Actual death toll may be around 25,000
Iran Human Rights said the Islamic Republic’s official fatality figure for Iran’s “national revolution” is not credible, arguing that the real number of those killed could be around 25,000. The group noted authorities have put the total at 3,117, but said the state has a documented record of systematically underreporting lethal violence; it cited its finding that, over the past five years, officials publicly announced only about 12% of executions on average, while other cases verified by Iran Human Rights through two independent sources were concealed. The organization said if a similar underreporting pattern is being applied to protest deaths, the true toll could reach roughly 25,000. In the same report, it said officials are attempting to shift responsibility by attributing violence to “other groups” or “terrorist groups,” but argued the evidence it has indicates protesters were targeted by government repression forces, including the IRGC and affiliated actors, using live ammunition and, in some cases, heavy machine guns—describing the killings as widespread, planned, and coordinated nationwide. Iran Human Rights called for independent investigations and urged a UN-supervised independent fact-finding committee; its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said emerging evidence from inside Iran suggests deaths far exceed official figures, adding that the published number was “for external consumption” and timed just ahead of a planned emergency session of the UN Human Rights Council on Iran, which he said was meant to influence outcomes and distract global opinion. He also warned that blaming “terrorist groups” could be groundwork for issuing and carrying out death sentences against protesters under charges such as moharebeh .
2026/01/22Report: Shahin Shahr “fell” on Jan. 8; witness alleges mass gunfire crackdown on Jan. 9
A viewer message sent to Iran International claimed that Shahin Shahr “fully fell” on 18 Dey (Jan. 8), saying residents came out the next morning celebrating and distributing sweets after allegedly seizing law-enforcement outposts. The same account alleged that government forces returned on the afternoon of 19 Dey (Jan. 9) and opened fire on crowds, describing indiscriminate shooting at anyone in the streets, including women, men, and children. These claims were presented as eyewitness testimony and have not been independently verified.
2026/01/22Diaspora activists urge Khamenei’s removal, call for secular transition
Eighteen Iranian activists living abroad who describe themselves as “national and transition-minded figures” issued a statement addressed to “the people of Iran” calling for Ali Khamenei to resign or be removed and for an end to what they termed the country’s “religious despotism.” The signatories described Khamenei as the lifetime, absolute authority of the ruling system and argued that his departure would open a path toward establishing a “secular government.” The statement strongly condemned what it called the brutal killings during recent nationwide protests, mass arrests, and retaliatory accusations used to issue harsh and expedited sentences, urging “free people of the world,” independent human-rights bodies, and international forums to take meaningful steps to deter continued targeted violence and the silent suppression of Iranians—particularly vulnerable youth. While offering condolences to victims’ families, the authors emphasized that Iran’s future must be determined by Iranians themselves “without any foreign interference.” Named signatories included Abdolali Bazargan, Soroush Dabagh, Fatemeh Shams, Reza Alijani, Mohammad Ali Kadivar, and Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari.
2026/01/22Hospital shifts reshuffled as security presence tightens at Iran’s medical centers
Messages cited by Iran International say some Iranian hospitals imposed wide-ranging staffing changes after the Jan. 8–9 protests (18–19 Dey), moving many night-shift nurses to day shifts while assigning only selected nurses to cover nights—an adjustment witnesses described as seemingly pre-planned. The reports coincide with multiple accounts of security forces exerting control over medical facilities and interfering in the treatment of injured protesters. Separate allegations include security personnel removing injured individuals from Rasht’s Poursina Hospital and emptying the blood bank; gunfire targeting doctors and nurses who sheltered protesters in Najafabad, Isfahan; and the placement of security agents at patients’ bedsides in Rey (Firoozabadi Hospital) and Zanjan, with claims that some wounded were abducted after transfer. The same reports also describe intensified pressure to prevent medical records and treatment-related information from being documented or shared.
2026/01/22Prince Reza Pahlavi calls on diaspora to unite under the Lion and Sun, focus on six global demands
In a video message on Thursday, Prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians abroad to remain united under Iran’s Lion and Sun flag, set aside personal disputes, and avoid fragmented, parallel initiatives in the same cities—arguing that recent large marches worldwide have boosted morale inside Iran while the authorities raise the cost of street protests through lethal force and martial-law tactics. He said the diaspora’s responsibility to mobilize international support is now heavier and must become broader, more coordinated, more organized, and more goal-oriented. Referencing his recent Washington press conference, he called for all overseas activities—from rallies and sit-ins to outreach, letters to lawmakers, and online/media advocacy—to concentrate on six demands: protecting Iranians by weakening the regime’s repression machine (especially by targeting the IRGC, its commanders, command structures, and infrastructure), applying “maximum” economic pressure by freezing regime assets globally and targeting the covert “ghost fleet” of oil tankers, enabling free internet access for Iran via Starlink and other secure tools while neutralizing shutdown capabilities, expelling regime diplomats and pursuing legal action for crimes against humanity, the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners, and readiness for a democratic transition including recognition of a legitimate transitional government. He added that plans for a “Global Day of Action and Solidarity” will be announced soon.
2026/01/22NetBlocks: Two Weeks Offline, Iran Cut From the World
NetBlocks said it has now been two weeks since Iran was effectively cut off from the outside world as people took to the streets demanding change, warning that the “digital blackout” has helped silence Iranians and enabled what it described as one of the deadliest crackdowns in recent history to unfold under reduced visibility.
2026/01/22Graham: “You Can’t Deal With Evil” on Iran Diplomacy
U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham rejected talk of a possible deal with Iran if its leadership “changes behavior,” arguing that such optimism misunderstands the Islamic Republic’s record and ideological nature. In a post on X, Graham compared the idea to historical misjudgments about negotiating with Hitler, called Iran’s supreme leader a “religious Nazi,” and said the correct response is confrontation—framing that, in this case, as standing with the Iranian people.
2026/01/22Germany Warns Tehran Could Step Up Spying on Exiles
Germany’s domestic intelligence service (BfV) is warning that Iran may intensify surveillance and intimidation of regime opponents abroad—particularly as Tehran faces heightened internal pressure and its ally Hezbollah is perceived as weakened. The warning highlights a toolkit that can include monitoring, discrediting, threats and potentially violence, while noting that data harvested through cyber operations could also be used to target individuals inside Iran if they are digitally connected to people in the diaspora.
2026/01/22Baha’i Citizen Detained in Kerman, Taken to Unknown Location
Iran International reported that Peyvand Naimi, a Baha’i resident of Kerman and a dog trainer/behaviourist, was arrested on 18 Dey 1404 (8 January 2026) and transferred to an undisclosed location, as pressure on civil society and minority communities continues to mount.
2026/01/22Kosar Salami Dismisses Trump’s “Headless-and-Tailless” Threats
Kosar Salami, identified in circulated reports as the daughter of slain IRGC commander Hossein Salami, said Donald Trump’s “headless-and-tailless” threats “do not matter,” a remark being amplified online as part of the hardline messaging responding to U.S. pressure and escalating rhetoric around Iran.
2026/01/22Borujerd Witnesses Describe Live Fire, Hot-Water Cannon, and Drone Surveillance
Messages from residents in Borujerd describe a large turnout on the first day of Prince Reza Pahlavi’s call to protest, with crowds gathering on Safa Street—“elderly, youth, and children” included—chanting “Pahlavi will return.” According to these eyewitness accounts, security forces used live ammunition and pellet fire , while protesters had “only stones” to defend themselves; the reports also claim the deployment of water cannons using hot water , as well as drones and aerial surveillance to track and disperse crowds. One witness further alleges that non-local forces, including Afghan and Arabic-speaking personnel , were present around Imam Hossein Street. The accounts say civilians were killed and many injured that night and note that internet restrictions limited the ability to publish images and videos widely.
2026/01/22Gunshot Wounds Kill Iran’s Math PhD Student, Reports Say
Student activists and rights monitors report that Habib Khoobi-pour , a PhD mathematics student described as a high-achieving talent, died on 24 Dey 1404 (14 January 2026) after several days in hospital with gunshot-related injuries sustained during the protests. Reports say he was buried the next day in Likak (Bahmai County, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province).
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