Overview
- Iran’s supreme leader acknowledged for the first time that several thousand people died in recent unrest, blamed foreign-backed rioters, and called President Trump a criminal.
- Human rights monitors including HRANA and IHR report death counts in the low thousands and warn the true toll could be higher due to verification barriers.
- NetBlocks says national connectivity has hovered near 2% of normal with only slight improvement, while state media claims limited service restoration for some users.
- President Trump labeled Khamenei a “sick man,” urged Iranians to seek “new leadership,” and said he was told mass executions were called off, a claim Iranian officials dispute.
- Rights groups report more than 24,000 arrests as prosecutors signal harsh prosecutions that could include capital charges, with visible protests now largely suppressed under tight controls.