Translation to English by Mistral AI (French):
The Iranian authorities reportedly crushed the protests bloodily. Numerous gatherings took place in Iran on Thursday and Friday across the country, bringing together thousands of people. The country's security forces then mobilized and, taking advantage of the internet blackout, began to repress the population.
According to the NGO Iran Human Rights on Monday, the number of confirmed deaths had risen to at least 648 by Sunday. "Meanwhile, unverified reports indicate at least several hundred deaths, or even more than 6000 according to some estimates," adds the Norway-based organization.
And according to an Iranian official quoted by Reuters, 2,000 people, including members of the security forces, have died in the protests since December 28. This source blames "terrorists" for the deadly toll.
But even more appalling figures are beginning to circulate, suggesting a countrywide massacre. According to the media outlet Iran International on Tuesday, Iranian security forces have killed more than 12,000 people, just on the nights of Thursday and Friday.
"On the direct orders of Ali Khamenei."
"Over the past two days, Iran International's editorial committee has examined - through a rigorous process - the information received," coming from various sources such as someone close to the National Security Council, the Iranian presidency, eyewitnesses, or data from medical centers. Photos and videos of dozens of bodies in Iranian hospitals are also circulating on social media.
"Based on these analyses, we have concluded that, in the largest massacre in contemporary Iranian history, at least 12,000 people have been killed, announces Iran International. By its geographical scope, the intensity of the violence, and the number of deaths in a very short period of time, this massacre is unprecedented in the history of Iran."
According to this media outlet's sources, the people killed were mainly by the forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij, an Islamist militia, and "the assassination was carried out on the direct orders of Ali Khamenei."
Iran International "is committed to refining this figure with the help of its audience - by collecting documents, cross-checking accounts, and continuously verifying information - so that no name is forgotten and no victim's family is left voiceless." The media outlet also calls for the collection of videos and photos of the situation in Iran.
The country has been almost cut off from the world for more than 4 days.
The internet blackout in Iran imposed by the authorities on January 8 has now lasted more than four and a half days, indicated Netblocks, a cybersecurity monitoring NGO, on Tuesday. "It has been 108 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet blackout that isolates Iranians from the rest of the world and from each other," the company said.
After repeated threats of military intervention to support the protesters, Donald Trump announced on Monday that any country trading with Iran would be hit with 25% tariffs by the United States. This decision "takes effect immediately," he specified, a measure likely to hit China, Tehran's main trading partner, in particular.
As for the threat of strikes against Iran, several Middle Eastern countries have called for restraint. Qatar, for example, believes that an escalation between the United States and Iran would be "catastrophic" for the region. The U.S. military still has significant forces on the borders of Iran, but no U.S. aircraft carrier groups are currently present in the Middle East due to the Navy's mobilization off the coast of Venezuela.