Media: IRGC raid homes of families of slain protesters

Plainclothes security personnel and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have carried out searches in the homes of families whose relatives were killed during the recent protests in eastern Tehran.

Sources familiar with the situation told Iran International that these operations involved coercive and intimidating tactics. According to their accounts, security forces fired shots, shouted insults, and thoroughly searched the residences.

The same sources said the families were instructed to retrieve the bodies of those killed before dawn and to conduct rapid and discreet burials. They were warned that failure to comply would result in the authorities proceeding with a “mass burial.” Additionally, the families were informed that they would be charged for the use of live ammunition.

These developments coincide with a fast-growing wave of unrest across Iran. The protests, which began in late December 2025 after a sharp collapse of the national currency and a spike in consumer prices, have expanded from economic grievances to broader demands for the removal of the country’s clerical leadership. In several cities, clashes between demonstrators and security forces have turned violent, leading to hundreds of deaths.

New information emerging on January 13 indicates that the extent of the crackdown may be significantly greater than earlier understood. CBS News, citing multiple sources, including one inside Iran, reported that activist groups compiling data from hospitals and medical staff now estimate the death toll at a minimum of 12,000, with some assessments placing it at 20,000 or more. These figures have not been independently verified, and the sources stressed that strict communication restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities likely contribute to major underreporting.

Analysts view the ongoing unrest as the most serious domestic challenge the Iranian government has confronted in at least three years, unfolding amid heightened external pressure following Israeli and US strikes last year.

By Tamilla Hasanova