Iran unrest death toll over 500, says rights group; internet blackout enters fourth day

The unrest in Iran has killed more than 500 people, a rights group said on Sunday, as Tehran threatened to target US military bases if President Donald Trump takes action on his threats to intervene on behalf of protesters. US-based rights group HRANA said that as per its latest figures, sourced from activists both inside and outside Iran, it has verified the deaths of 490 protesters and 48 security personnel, while over 10,600 people have been arrested in two weeks of unrest, reported Reuters. Iran has not shared an official toll, though state TV aired footage of dozens of body bags on the ground at the Tehran coroner’s office on Sunday, saying the dead were victims of events caused by ‘armed terrorists’.

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Iranian state TV broadcasts funeral processions

Iranian state TV also broadcast funeral processions in western cities such as Gachsaran and Yasuj for security personnel killed in protests. It said 30 members of the security forces would be buried in the central city of Isfahan and that six more were killed by ‘rioters’ in Kermanshah.

Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to intervene if force is used on protesters, is scheduled to be briefed by his officials on Tuesday on options including military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources, the Wall Street Journal said on Sunday.

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Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Washington against any “miscalculation”.

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

Internet shutdown enters fourth day

Netblocks, the internet’s observatory, said on Sunday evening that the internet shutdown in Iran is entering its fourth day with connectivity to the outside world at just 1% of ordinary levels.

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“Diminished telecoms continue to impact the public’s ability to access information and communicate with loved ones,” it said in an X post.

Iran has deployed military jammers to shut down access to Starlink, which was being used for connectivity by protesters and anti-regime activists after domestic internet was shut down completely.

Since Starlink receivers use GPS to locate and connect to satellites, Iran has been disrupting GPS signals, and as a result connectivity is available is few locations and there are near blackouts in high-profile areas.

The flow of information from Iran has been hampered since Thursday.

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Machado extends support and solidarity to people of Iran

Venezuelan leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado also extended support and solidarity to the people of Iran.

She said in a post on X, “My deepest respect to the brave people of Iran who, at this hour, continue protesting in the streets of more than 100 cities in that country, despite the brutal repression they face.”

“Iranians reject the hunger and oppression to which they have been subjected for years by an authoritarian regime, a regime that infiltrated Latin America to associate with criminal systems like chavismo in Venezuela. All my strength and support in these hours, and my solidarity to the families of the fallen heroes,” she added.

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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said in a message, “The people of Israel, and the entire world, stand in awe of the immense bravery of Iran's citizens. Israel supports their struggle for freedom and strongly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians. We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be liberated from the yoke of tyranny.”