Under blackout, Iran's streets run red: Tehran doctor says at least 217 killed as regime opens fire on protestors - Report

Iran’s biggest wave of protests in years took a deadly turn on Thursday (Jan 9) night as security forces opened fire in multiple cities, even as the government-imposed near-total communications blackout continued. A doctor in Tehran, speaking to TIME on condition of anonymity, said that just six hospitals in the capital had recorded at least 217 protester deaths, most caused by live ammunition.

What happened?

Speaking to TIME, a Tehran doctor said that just six hospitals in the Iranian capital recorded at least 217 protestor deaths, "most by live ammunition". The alarming figure is yet to be confirmed by an official source.

However, if confirmed, the figure would mark a bloody crackdown in direct defiance of US President Donald Trump's warning that the regime would "pay hell" if it killed protestors.

The doctor told the publication that many of the bodies were removed from hospitals overnight, adding that most of those killed were young people. This, the doctor said, includes at least 30 people who were shot outside a northern Tehran police station when security forces sprayed machine gun fire at protesters, many of whom died "on the spot."

Iran continues to boil

What began on December 28 as demonstrations over a collapsing economy and a plunging currency has since spread to all 31 provinces. Protesters have increasingly shifted their demands, calling for the overthrow of the clerical leadership with chants such as "Freedom" and "Death to the Dictator," and some government buildings have been vandalised.

Human rights groups have so far reported significantly lower death tolls. The Human Rights Activist News Agency, which counts only identified victims, on Friday reported at least 63 deaths, including 49 civilians. TIME said it m the higher figures provided by medical sources.

Iranian authorities have issued increasingly blunt warnings. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the state would not retreat in the face of "vandals," while Tehran’s prosecutor warned protesters could face the death penalty. An Islamic Revolutionary Guard official has also told parents on state television to keep children off the streets, adding chillingly "If... a bullet hits you, don’t complain".