Iran protest death toll rises to 544, including 48 security forces UPDATED

The death toll in nationwide protests in Iran rose to at least 544 — including 496 protesters and 48 security personnel — with many more feared dead amid the government’s violent crackdown.

US President Donald Trump stated on January 11 that Tehran proposed negotiations following his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on demonstrators, Caliber.Az reports via The Associated Press (AP).

Trump and his national security team are considering a range of possible responses to Iran, including cyberattacks and direct military strikes by the United States or Israel, according to two sources familiar with internal White House discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to comment publicly.

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Nationwide protests in Iran have left at least 538 people dead, with many more feared dead, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), as reported by Reuters.

Tehran has threatened US military bases if President Donald Trump follows through on warnings to intervene on behalf of protesters. The clerical establishment of the Islamic Republic is facing its largest wave of protests since 2022.

Trump has repeatedly warned that he would take action if Iranian authorities use force against the protesters.

According to HRANA, which compiled figures from activists both inside and outside Iran, 490 protesters and 48 security personnel have been confirmed dead, while more than 10,600 people have been arrested over two weeks of unrest. 

The Iranian government has yet to release overall casualty figures for the demonstrations.

On January 11, Iranian authorities announced three days of national mourning “in honour of martyrs killed in resistance against the United States and the Zionist regime,” according to state media.

Iranian officials blame the US and Israel for stirring unrest and have called for a nationwide rally on January 12 to denounce “terrorist actions led by the United States and Israel” in Iran, state media reported.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cautioned the United States against what he described as “a miscalculation.”

“Let us be clear: in the case of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories (Israel) as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” said  Ghalibaf, who previously served as a commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.

The protests began on December 28, 2025, when shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and other commercial centres closed their businesses and joined demonstrations against a worsening economic crisis, driven by soaring inflation, skyrocketing food prices, and the Iranian rial’s sharp plunge to record lows.

By Jeyhun Aghazada