Iran will on Wednesday bury the bodies of 100 security personnel killed during nationwide anti-government protests, a senior official said, as authorities and activists give sharply differing accounts of the scale and causes of the violence.
Ahmad Mousavi, head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying the funerals would be held for security forces killed in what he described as “extreme violence” during the unrest.
Mousavi labelled protesters as “terrorist groups” and said they had attacked police and security personnel using firearms, hunting rifles, knives and other weapons. He said some victims were killed in “brutal” ways and that identifying all bodies had taken time.
Iranian officials have not released an overall casualty figure for the protests. Mousavi said security forces made up more than two-thirds of those killed, a claim disputed by rights groups.
Human rights monitors outside Iran say the overall death toll has surpassed 2,000 since demonstrations erupted more than two weeks ago over economic hardship before escalating into calls for the downfall of the clerical establishment.
The unrest has drawn sharp international reactions. US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran against using deadly force and said Washington is weighing “very strong options” if the crackdown continues. Trump has also announced 25% tariffs on countries that do business with Iran, though the White House has not detailed how the measures would be enforced.
Iran’s leadership has rejected foreign pressure, blaming the violence on the United States and Israel. Tehran has warned that any military intervention would prompt retaliation against US and Israeli targets in the region.
