Iran’s supreme leader has for the first time publicly acknowledged that thousands of people were killed, “some in an inhuman, savage manner”, during recent protests.
A violent response to the unrest has claimed 3,090 lives, according to US-based Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), with some activist groups putting the death toll far higher. An internet blackout has made it extremely difficult to get clear information.
In a speech on Saturday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said thousands had been killed and blamed the US for the deaths.
And the UK?
I’m disgusted to see the footage from the Iranian Embassy in London.
The London Metropolitan police beating up Iranians who are standing up for their loved ones in Iran as they are being massacred by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. pic.twitter.com/4zjbDJQDeS
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) January 17, 2026
