Iran enters a critical phase after 17 days of uprising and thousands of deaths
The regime's crackdown, with internet blackouts, overflowing morgues and more than 3,000 victims according to the opposition, has failed to curb protests that have spread across almost the entire country
- Casualty figures and official acknowledgement
- Protests in 31 provinces and the role of organised resistance
- Internet shutdown and disinformation campaigns
- Political demands and assessment of the uprising
On Tuesday, 13 January 2026, the nationwide uprising entered its seventeenth day, as protests in Iran intensified amid undeclared martial law in major cities, widespread power and internet cuts, mass fatalities and ongoing street clashes in several provinces.
According to the opposition PMOI (MEK), the number of protesters killed by the regime since 28 December 2025 has now exceeded 3,000, based on investigations conducted in 195 cities using hospital records, forensic data, local sources, and testimonies from relatives of the deceased and missing. This figure alone places the current crackdown among the deadliest episodes of state violence in the history of the Iranian regime. Corpses are reportedly piling up in forensic centres in Tehran and Karaj, and morgues are overwhelmed across the country.
Casualty figures and official acknowledgement
Significantly, on 13 January, an Iranian regime official acknowledged to Reuters that around 2,000 people have died during the unrest, including members of the security forces. This is the first time the authorities have admitted to such a high death toll. Given the regime's long history of concealment, enforced disappearances and the current internet blackout, this figure is widely considered to be a minimum. Independent evidence strongly suggests that the actual death toll is much higher than the 3,000 already announced by the PMOI and continues to rise.
Reports from Tehran, Karaj, Bandar Abbas and other major cities indicate that morgues and forensic facilities are overwhelmed. Families have been summoned to identify bodies under a heavy police presence, while others have been given no information about the fate of their detained relatives. In several cases, bodies have reportedly been moved to unknown locations or released only after exorbitant sums have been paid. These practices point to an organised effort to conceal the scale of the killings and intimidate society into silence.
Protests in 31 provinces and the role of organised resistance
Despite this brutality, the uprising has not abated. Protests and clashes have been reported in at least 190 cities in all 31 provinces, and nightly confrontations continue in Tehran, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Shiraz and dozens of other urban centres. Markets and bazaars have remained closed in several provinces, indicating growing participation by workers and merchants, along with students and youth. Slogans such as ‘Death to the dictator,’ ‘Death to Khamenei,’ and ‘This year is the year of blood: Seyyed Ali will be overthrown’ continue to predominate.
What is happening is not a spontaneous, leaderless outburst. The persistence of demonstrations night after night, even after mass killings, reflects the presence of an organised resistance within Iran. At the centre of this resistance are the PMOI Resistance Units, which play a key role in coordinating protests, maintaining morale and breaking the regime's climate of fear. In several cities, these units have enabled protesters to temporarily take control of the streets and government buildings, directly undermining the regime's ability to restore order solely through terror.
Internet shutdown and disinformation campaigns
Alongside physical repression, the regime has intensified its information war. The near-total internet shutdown has entered its fourth day, with the aim of isolating protesters and concealing atrocities. At the same time, fake videos and manipulated audio recordings have been circulated online, falsely suggesting popular support for the return of the monarchy. These disinformation campaigns have been amplified by cyber units linked to the regime and opportunistic networks abroad.
In this context, the actions of the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, have drawn widespread criticism within Iran. Protesters in several cities have explicitly rejected any attempt to replace one dictatorship with another, chanting: ‘Death to the oppressor, whether the Shah or the Leader.’ Far from unifying the uprising, monarchist propaganda has only served to confuse public opinion, fracture solidarity and provide the regime with a convenient narrative to delegitimise the revolt as a foreign-backed project.
Political demands and assessment of the uprising
On the contrary, the central demand of the uprising remains clear: the overthrow of the clerical regime and the establishment of a democratic and secular republic. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, has described the mass killings as a crime against humanity, stressing that the Resistance seeks neither foreign military intervention nor external funding, but relies solely on the Iranian people and their organised struggle.
With thousands dead, the uprising has crossed a point of no return. The magnitude of the sacrifice underscores a simple reality: a population willing to pay such a price for freedom cannot be subjugated indefinitely.
Newly obtained footage shows the regime's security forces opening fire on unarmed protesters.