Deaths resulting from clashes between demonstrators and the police have reached at least 646 in Iran, said human rights activists on Tuesday, with the number expected to rise.
The estimate came from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on a network pf activists and doctors inside Iran, and has been accurate throughout multiple years of demonstrations.
Although Iran’s government has not provided casualty figures from the demonstrations, its clampdown on protesters is said to have become deadlier. With communications blocked in the country, some Iranians are reported to be using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite, even though service remains patchy.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has held off on striking Iran for now as he mulls Tehran’s threat to counter-strike the US and Israel if it is hit, has announced tariffs of 25 per cent on Iran’s trade partners in a bid to pressurise the country over its crackdown on protesters.
“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25 per cent on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, adding that the “order is final and conclusive”.
China, India and the United Arab Emirates are the top importers of Iranian goods. According to the World Bank’s most recent data, Iran, a member of the OPEC oil producers group, exported products to 147 trading partners in 2022.
The US president has repeatedly threatened Tehran with military action for using deadly force against the anti-government protesters, which Iran claims are being incited by the US and Israel. Even though Tehran said on Monday it was keeping communication channels with Washington open, Trump said the US may meet Iranian officials whilst also being in contact with Iran’s opposition.
But, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed the pro-government rallies on Monday, saying the turnout was a “warning” to the US to “stop their deceit”. “This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on treacherous mercenaries,” he said.
The Iranian government also summoned diplomats representing France, Germany, Italy, and the UK in Tehran to object to these countries’ support for the protests that have been the biggest test for the Islamic Republic since the revolution in 1979.
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