Senior Iranian official warns of more than 2,000 killed in protests as international pressure mounts

A senior Iranian official recognized for the first time that around 2,000 people have died during the protests that have shaken the country for the past two weeks, in what is one of the deadliest crackdowns in recent years in Iran, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there are deaths among protesters and within the armed forces. However, they did not offer an official breakdown of those killed or specify how many were civilians. The data contrasts in an alarming number with what an Iranian NGO gave hours earlier.

The protests erupted after the collapse of the Iranian rial and the worsening of the economic crisis, and have become the biggest internal challenge for the Ayatollahs' Regime in at least three years, in a context already marked by regional tension and the recent attacks by Israel and the United States against Iranian interests, according to Reuters.

Repression, news blackout and thousands of arrests

Authorities have imposed severe restrictions on communications, including a near-total internet blackout in recent days, which has made independent fact-checking difficult. The U.N. Human Rights Office reported on Tuesday that telephone services have begun to be restored, although internet access still remains unstable.

Videos verified by Reuters show overnight clashes in several cities, with gunfire, building fires and burning vehicles, reflecting an escalation of violence between protesters and security forces.

The U.S.-based HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency) reported that at least 10,721 people had been arrested as of Monday night. Human rights groups claim to have identified hundreds of the dead by name, while opposition organizations in exile maintain that the actual number of dead far exceeds the figure acknowledged by the Iranian official.

HRANA also reported that relatives of victims gathered at Tehran's Behesht Zahra cemetery, where they chanted protest slogans at gravesides, according to reports and videos received by the organization.

Trump tightens pressure and calls for protests to be maintained

In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump raised pressure against Tehran. On Monday he announced tariffs of 25% on imports from any country that does business with Iran, a move that directly affects its key trading partners. Iran exports much of its oil to China, in addition to trade with Turkey, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and India, according to Reuters.

Beijing was quick to criticize the U.S. decision.

This Tuesday, Trump went further and publicly called on Iranian protesters to continue the protests.

"Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY," he added.

Trump also warned in recent days that he is not ruling out further military action if the crackdown continues.

So far, Tehran has not officially responded to the new tariffs announced by Washington nor to the U.S. president's calls to action, while the international community observes with growing concern the magnitude of the crisis and the human toll of the repression.