2025–2026 Iran massacres

The 2025–2026 Iran massacres were a series of mass killings of civilians by the Iranian government during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, deploying both its own security forces and importing foreign militias to suppress public dissent nationwide. As of September 2026, most death toll estimates ranged from 5,000 people to over 36,500, including 209 government-affiliated military and non-military personnel, making these among the largest massacres in the modern history of Iran.‎

On 25 January, Time reported that a specific list included 30,304 protest-related deaths registered in civilian hospitals for 8 and 9 January alone. The same day, Iran International estimated total deaths at over 36,500. An Iranian doctors' network cited by The Guardian estimated that the death toll could be more than 30,000, based on an estimated factor of ten undercount in the official death toll. AP News reported that the government's overwhelming use of violence had caused despair among the public.

Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has been attributed responsibility as one of the key planners of the massacres by former Iranian government officials. The crackdown was initiated in pursuit of orders from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior officials to use live fire against protesters. Khamenei himself had ordered the protests "crush[ed]... by any means necessary". As of 19 January 2026, the Iranian government had reasserted control over the protests. Worldwide support protests took place on 14 February, and protest waves restarted in western Iran on 16 February and in universities on 21 February.

Khamenei acknowledged "thousands" had been killed during the protests, blaming American president Donald Trump for the massacre and accusing those leading the protests of affiliation with the United States and Israel. The Iranian government put the death toll at 3,117, stating that 2,447 were civilians and security forces, and the rest were "terrorists". The government published an official list of 2,986 victims. Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) described the official list as mostly unverifiable due to the lack of sufficient identifying details. Iran International stated on 3 February that it had its own confirmed list of 6,634 deaths, of which less than 100 were on the official list. HRANA published a full report on 23 February 2026, including a detailed named list of 7,007 deaths. According to documents, Iran International reported that more than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown. Similarly, Time Magazine, citing Iranian health ministry officials, reported that more than 30,000 people could have been killed during the crackdown.

On 11 January 2026, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of being behind the unrest and alleged that foreign-backed "terrorists" were responsible for killings during the protests. The Iranian cabinet similarly blamed US- and Israeli-backed "mercenaries and terrorists" for killing civilians and security personnel, while Ali Larijani called Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu "the main killers of the people of Iran". On 11 February, Pezeshkian expressed shame over the events and apologized for what he called the government's "shortcomings and deficiencies", but did not acknowledge responsibility by Iranian security forces for the killings.

In January 2026, and from 28 February to late May 2026, Iranian authorities imposed a total internet shutdown as part of their crackdown on the protests, restricting communication inside the country and limiting the flow of information about the killings to the outside world.