Iran Tells UN of Large Protest Death Toll as Foreign Minister Denies Plans to Hang Demonstrators

Overview

• In letters to the UN chief and the human rights commissioner, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported a large but unspecified number of victims and said a significant number of police officers were killed and many wounded.
• The letters attributed violence to terrorist elements allegedly embedded among demonstrators and urged condemnation of attacks and external interference.
• Araghchi said authorities exercised maximum restraint while fulfilling duties to protect the public and national security.
• Casualty figures remain contested, with earlier official statements citing roughly 40 law-enforcement deaths and an unnamed security source telling RIA Novosti that more than 500 people, including civilians, police, and IRGC personnel, were killed.
• In a Fox News interview, Araghchi rejected claims that protesters would be executed by hanging and described the allegation as disinformation, as Iran continues to link the unrest to U.S. and Israeli involvement and protests that surged after the rial’s plunge and January 8 mobilization calls.