TEHRAN, Iran — Massive protests rocked Iran in recent weeks but appear to have largely subsided after a brutal crackdown that has left at least 3,117 dead, according to official figures.
That number falls far below the death toll cited by human rights groups.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which says it relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information and that its data goes through “multiple internal checks,” said Friday that the death toll had reached 5,137.
The demonstrations were sparked by economic grievances as the rial currency crashed and inflation soared, morphing into one of the biggest challenges the Islamic Republic faced in the theocracy’s 47-year history, as thousands of people took to the streets to demand the end of the ruling clergy.
It has been difficult to get a clear picture of what transpired in the streets of the Iranian capital during this chaotic time because of an internet blackout that has dragged on for more than two weeks, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
But NBC News documented scenes from the aftermath of the violence on Tehran’s streets.
Many buildings stand burned and scarred, their blackened facades bearing the marks of the recent unrest.
Government buildings and banks were targeted by protesters and set ablaze.
East of Tehran, a tax office can be seen almost completely destroyed, a sign of the protesters’ anger about high taxes set on businesses.
In Tehran’s District 7, which saw mass protests last week, one of the major national supermarket chain stores can also be seen badly damaged after protesters set it on fire in response to high inflation and growing economic hardship.
Videos posted online last week showed security forces opening fire on crowds with machine guns and row after row of bodies lined up at a forensic center south of Tehran.
The government noted that clips have been sent via Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service. Starlink terminals are known to have been smuggled into Iran during the last large round of protests in 2022 and 2023.
But as the protesters left the streets, Tehran’s residents could be seen returning to daily routines despite the recent bloodshed and dismal economy.
Iran has had a long-running cycle of tumultuous unrest — seen in 1999, 2009, 2019 and 2022-23 — but even if the country has crushed the current round of protests, the Islamic Republic has an ailing supreme leader, the highest authority in the country, and no clear leader in waiting, analysts say.
The country’s officials are now dealing with the international backlash to the crackdown: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was disinvited from the World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland, last week.
In an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal, Araghchi issued his most direct warning yet to the United States, saying Iran would be “firing back with everything we have” if attacked.
President Donald Trump sent his own bellicose message while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case. We have a big flotilla going in that direction, and we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “We have a big force, we have a big force going toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
