Iran Economy

Iran's protests, bloody crackdown in focus amid internet blackout

The bloodiest crackdown on dissent since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution is slowly coming into focus, despite authorities cutting off the Islamic Republic from the internet and much of the wider world. Cities and towns smell of smoke as fire-damaged mosques and government offices line streets. Banks have been torched, their ATMs smashed. Officials estimate the damage to be at least USD 125 million, according to an Associated Press tally of reports by the state-run IRNA news agency from over 20 cities. The number of dead demonstrators reported by activists continues to swell. Activists warn it shows Iran engaging in the same tactics it has used for decades, but at an unprecedented scale - firing from rooftops on demonstrators, shooting birdshot into crowds and sending motorcycle-riding paramilitary Revolutionary Guard volunteers in to beat and detain those who can't escape. "The vast majority of protesters were peaceful. The video footage shows crowds of people - including children an

Iran issues 1st official death toll from protests, saying 3,117 were killed

Iranian state TV has issued the first official death toll from recent protests, saying 3,117 people were killed in the demonstrations that began December 28. The figure is lower than the 4,560 people activists say died. State television on Wednesday night carried a statement by the Martyrs Foundation providing the toll. It said that of those killed, 2,427 were civilians and security forces. It did not elaborate on the rest. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Wednesday put the death toll at 4,560. The agency has been accurate throughout the years on demonstrations and unrest in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll.

Iran protests: US-based activist agency says it has verified 3,919 deaths

A US-based activist agency said Sunday it has verified at least 3,919 deaths during a wave of protests that swept Iran and led to a bloody crackdown, and fears the number could be significantly higher. The Human Rights Activists News Agency posted the revised figure, up from the previous toll of 3,308. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution. The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the toll. Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the protests had left several thousand people dead and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualt

Trump thanks Iran for cancelling executions of political prisoners

President Donald Trump took the unusual step on Friday of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. Iran cancelled the hanging of over 800 people, Trump told reporters while leaving the White House to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He added and I greatly respect the fact that they cancelled. The Republican president also suggested on his social media site that more than 800 people had been set to be executed in Iran, but he said they now won't be. Thank you! Trump posted. Those sentiments come after Trump spent days suggesting that the US might strike Iran militarily if its government triggered mass killings during widespread protests that swept that country but now have quieted. The death toll from those demonstrations continues to rise, activists say. Still, Trump seemed to hint that the prospects for US military action were fading since Iran had he

Iran protests appear to fade as crackdown deepens, West weighs sanctions

The nationwide protests challenging Iran's theocracy appeared increasingly smothered Thursday, a week after authorities shut the country off from the world and escalated a bloody crackdown that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. The prospect of US retaliation for the deaths of protesters still hung over the region, though President Donald Trump signalled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. Meanwhile, the US announced new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of suppressing the protests, which began late last month over the country's faltering economy and the collapse of its currency. The Group of Seven industrialised democracies and the European Union said they too were looking at new sanctions to ratchet up the pressure on Iran's theocratic government. The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Iran for Thursday afternoon at the request of the United States. In Iran's capital, Tehran, witnesses said recent mornings show

US renews threats against Iran at UN despite Trump's de-escalation signals

After weeks of escalating tension, US and Iranian officials faced each other Thursday at the UN Security Council, where America's envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic despite President Donald Trump's efforts to lower the temperature between the two adversaries. The US was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government's bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. Colleagues, let me be clear: President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations, Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, said in a statement. He has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime. Waltz's remarks came as the prospect of US retaliation for the protesters' deaths still hung over the region, though Trump signaled a possible de-escalation, saying the killing appeared to be ending. By Thursday, the protests ..

Exiled Iranian prince seeks Trump backing, not public support: Experts

No pursuit of nuclear weapons. Confronting drug trafficking. An immediate recognition of the state of Israel. Exporting copious amounts of oil and gas. Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi laid out his aspirations Thursday for Iran if its theocracy is toppled and experts say they sound exactly like what US President Donald Trump wants to hear. That plan likely is aimed at trying to secure support to lead Iran if the nationwide protests succeed in ousting the Islamic Republic. Activists describe a bloody crackdown by security forces that has killed 2,637 people and broadly smothered the demonstrations. But Trump has yet to fully embrace Pahlavi. He's really struggling to win Trump's approval, to give the impression he has that strong support, but it doesn't seem to be working, said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a Washington think tank and author of several books on Iran. Many of his goals also dovetail with the wishes of hard-line Israeli Prime Minister

Who are Iran's bazaaris, and why their protests still shake the regime

As Iran's economy buckles under inflation and a weakening currency, Tehran's Grand Bazaar is again turning into a pressure point, with shop closures signalling unrest spreading beyond the market

It now takes 1.65 million Iranian rials for $1. Here's why it crashed

Iran's rial has slid to nearly 1.65 million per dollar, crushing purchasing power and trade options as sanctions, inflation, and the Israel war have converged into a full-blown currency crisis

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi outlines vision for a free, peaceful Iran

Earlier, US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday (local time) met the exiled crown prince and reiterated Washington's support for the Iranian people against what he described as a "brutal regime"

Trump claims killings in Iran are stopping, executions not planned

Donald Trump claimed he has been assured that Iran will halt killings and not execute protesters, warning of 'very strong action' if hangings resume

Iran temporarily shuts airspace amid tensions, forcing airlines to reroute

President Donald Trump has been weighing a response to the situation in Iran, which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years

Iran signals fast trials, executions; warns US, Israel against action

Iranian officials signaled on Wednesday that fast trials and executions lay ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests, while the Islamic Republic promised retaliation if the US or Israel intervenes in the domestic unrest. The threats emerged as some personnel at a key US military base in Qatar were advised to evacuate, even as President Donald Trump made a series of vague statements in a span of 24 hours that left unclear what American action, if any, would take place against Iran. In comments to reporters, the Republican president said he had been told that plans for executions in Iran have stopped, without providing many details. The shift comes a day after Trump told protesters in Iran that help is on the way and that his administration would act accordingly to respond to the Islamic Republic's deadly crackdown. We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping it's stopped it's stopping, Trump said at the White House while signing executive orders and legislation.

Iran signals fast trials, executions for protesters despite Trump warning

The head of Iran's judiciary signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump. The comments from Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June. Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television online. If we want to do

Iran aired nearly 100 coerced confessions from protesters, say activists

They are shown handcuffed, their faces blurred. The confession videos, broadcast on Iranian state media, feature dramatic background music interspersed with clips appearing to show protesters attacking security forces. Some showcase gruesome homemade weapons that authorities claim were used in the attacks. Others highlight suspects in grainy security footage, appearing to set fires or destroy property. Iran alleges these confessions, which often include references to Israel or America, are proof of foreign plots behind Iran's nationwide protests. Activists say they are coerced confessions, long a staple of Iran's hard-line state television, the only broadcaster in the country. And these videos are coming at an unprecedented clip. Iranian state media has aired at least 97 confessions from protesters, many expressing remorse for their actions, since the protests began on Dec 28, according to a rights group that is tracking the videos. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency

Iran uses Russian tech to jam Starlink as protests grow under blackout

Iran has reportedly used Russian-made jammers to disrupt Starlink internet during protests, even as SpaceX waived fees to help people connect amid a nationwide internet blackout

Elon Musk's Starlink goes free in Iran as internet blackout continues

Unrest across Iran has sharply intensified over the past week, drawing hundreds of thousands to the streets who are calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Trump urges Iranians to escalate protests, hints at action as deaths mount

Iran has experienced weeks of mass unrest. While initially touched off by a currency crisis and worsening economic conditions, the protests have increasingly taken aim at the regime

Iran allows limited overseas calls as protest death toll nears 2,000

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the death toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 2,000 people, according to activists. Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press. The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites. It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday. Here is the latest: Iranian official calls Trump and Netanyahu 'real killers of peopl

Who is Erfan Soltani, the 26-year-old Iran plans to execute over protests?

The National Union for Democracy in Iran, a US-based non-profit organisation of the Iranian diaspora, said that the Islamic Republic told Soltani's family that the 'sentence is final'