---
title: When the Iranian Government Massacred Its Own People.
description: "It began as angry rumblings in Tehran's bazaars and commercial districts, most notably the Alaeddin Shopping Centre — shopkeepers irritated about inflation, bitterness over how the economy was sinking. On 28th December 2025, a small protest saw shops across the centre close. It was a relatively small, simple act, but it lit a fuse and within a matter of days, protests had exploded across Iran.\n\nBy 8th January 2026, huge numbers were protesting across all 31 Iranian provinces. There were calls for genuine change and some opposition figures even demanded a referendum on the future of the country. The government had so far acted with relative constraint, which still involved tear gas, death, and mass arrest, but hoped that by shutting down the internet the protest might eventually fizzle out. Except it didn't.\n\nAnd that's when it all began – when the killings started. Police, armed forces, and militias shot indiscriminately into crowds, killing thousands. Just a few days later, the death toll was enormous — though exact numbers remained hard to determine. Bodies were being withheld, while some were buried in mass graves with their family's consent.\n\nThe protest finally came to an end, thanks to the bloody, blunt fist of the Iranian government that showed its people, and the world, that it was willing to massacre civilians en masse to retain its control.\n\nYet while this became the largest massacre in modern Iranian history, this was simply the continuation of a pattern. Since the 1970s, Iran has been plagued by turmoil, with regular uprisings receiving the same violent tactics. The people persist, the government responds viciously. It's a hellish Catch-22 that Iranians have, sadly, grown to live with. But still, what occurred over just a few days in January 2026, was brutality on an entirely different scale.\n\n## Modern Iran\n\nWhere do you even start with Iran? This is a country that has been through so much change in the last 70 years, and still manages to polarise like few other nations on Earth.\n\nLet's begin with Iran's cultural and political setup. On paper, Iran looks like a solid democracy. It holds elections, people vote, there's always a winner, but it's all somewhat of a masquerade. Because, in Iran, real power isn't held by the politicians, but ultimately by the unelected Supreme Leader, who, from 1989 and until he was killed during U.S-Israeli airstrikes in late February 2026, was Ali Khamenei.\n\nThis Ayatollah had some pretty extreme views on Iran's neighbours, and in particular Israel and the United States. He was fairly unpopular around the world, that is, unless Iran was funnelling weapons to you — Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, we're talking about you — and in that case, he was your best friend.\n\nAt the time of the protest, which began on 28th December 2025, Iran was sliding. International sanctions continued to bite, and there was a sharp depreciation of the Iranian Rial. Basic items like eggs, bread, and cooking oil became exorbitantly expensive, power cuts were common, and there were even water shortages in some parts of the country. The depreciation of the Rial and the volatile price fluctuations made it impossible to plan ahead. For shopkeepers, it was chaotic. For buyers, it was like Russian roulette. Food prices had risen by 72%, while health and medical goods increased 50% year-on-year.\n\nSo why was a country like Iran, rich in natural resources and with a modern infrastructure struggling so badly? Well, a large part of this comes down to geopolitics. Iran hasn't exactly ingratiated itself to the world over the last few decades, and when you have an enemy like the United States, you quickly learn how much power a superpower really wields.\n\nIran's continued nuclear weapons program — or as the Iranian government says, what nuclear weapons program? — has long been an issue of discontent. With the Ayatollah's rhetoric against certain neighbouring countries, you can kind of understand why there are multiple countries around the world that don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon.\n\nWe'll be coming back to a few of these points later, but let's leave this section with the events of 28th December in the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran. At this point, the value of the Iranian rial had sunk to a record low of 1.40 million per US dollar, according to Reuters, and a group of shopkeepers decided to simultaneously close their shops and stalls in protest at the country's economic state.\n\nIt was a relatively small act, confined to the shopping centre and the surrounding streets, but soon social media was flooded with images and video showing small crowds chanting about the mismanagement that had destroyed Iran's economy. And they weren't blaming the United States or Israel, they were pointing the finger firmly at the Iranian government. It was small, fairly insignificant, but great change generally starts in this way.\n\n## The Shah & the Revolution\n\nTo understand why the chaos played out how it did, we need to look back at a period that defined modern Iran.\n\nIn the early 1900s, Iran was ruled by the Qajar dynasty, whose power extended well outside modern Iran. This had been the status quo since the 18th, but by the early 1920s, people had had enough. Politics were a mess, while foreign muddling was common, particularly the United Kingdom and Russia.\n\nIn 1921, a military coup, led by Reza Khan, took control with little resistance. Instead of immediately going for the jugular, he installed himself as Prime Minister, and bided his time. In 1925, Ahmad Shah Qajar was formally removed, and Reza Khan became the country's new Shah.\n\nFast-forward to World War II, and the allies weren't exactly keen on their man in Iran who they viewed as weak and even worse, possibly a secret Hitler fan. Iran was strategically important, as it was the main corridor between North Africa and the Soviet Union after Germany invaded the USSR during Operation Barbarossa. So both the UK and the Soviet Union invaded to keep everything nice and secure, and chose to place the Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne at the tender age of 21.\n\nThings remained relatively stable in the region until 1953, and it all came down to oil. The Anglo-Iranian oil company had seen huge profits for years, much of it leaving Iran and trickling back to certain pockets in the UK. So, when Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh announced that Iran would be nationalising its oil industry, therefore keeping profits in Iran, the UK wasn't happy. The U.S. also wasn't impressed, and together the Anglo-American tag team threw their weight behind an internal coup that forced Mossadegh out and placed more power with the Shah, who, of course, was more than happy to open things up even more and allow the two foreign nations to continue bleeding Iran dry.\n\nThe following decade is known as the White Revolution, which saw a huge modernisation drive across Iran. This included an expansion of education, land redistribution, huge industrial growth, and women's rights. If you look at images from this period, you'll see women in mini-skirts, their hair flowing freely, their faces with make-up. In many ways, it was a glorious time for Iran.\n\nAnd yet, there were some glaring issues. Firstly, the Shah had become a tyrannical yet smiling despot with an outrageous lust for luxury. In October 1971, he held what was, by most accounts, one of the most extravagant celebrations in modern history.\n\nIt was staged in the ruins of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, and was meant to mark 2,500 years of Persian monarchy. The Shah wasn't just presenting himself as a ruler — he was placing himself in a line that stretched back to Cyrus the Great — and threw a party that reportedly cost $100 million – that's around $800 million today. It was outrageous in the most outrageous way. Trees were planted in the desert, with no water to sustain them. Exotic birds were flown in from around the world that died straight away because, well, it's the desert. Food from Paris. I think you get the idea.\n\nThe Shah's party infuriated many across Iran at a time when the gap between rich and poor was becoming a gaping divide. Yes, the country seemed to be doing well, but millions were struggling.\n\nThe other factor was that social change was barrelling forward at a speed many deemed unacceptable. Iran was becoming too western and losing its core values. The religious traditions were being eroded, railed a cleric named Ruhollah Khomeini, who was then forced into exile.\n\nBy the mid 1970s, anger was rising, and the Shah's security forces responded in the way dictatorships tend to. People were dragged away, never to be seen again. Fear was prevalent and many assumed spies were everywhere.\n\nIn 1978, massive protests exploded across Iran, and while the Shah hung on, he was eventually forced to flee the following year. Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran and received a welcome of astonishing size, with millions greeting his plane or gathering in Tehran. Revolution was in the air, and for the Iranian people, everything was about to change.\n\n## Escalation\n\n29th December 2025. Many assumed that the shopkeepers' protest from the previous day was just a one-off, but instead, it grew and spread to various parts of Tehran, including the Grand Bazaar.\n\nMore videos appeared, with people chanting slogans like \"Death to the Dictator\", which had become a commonly used phrase in protest for years, and \"Khamenei will be toppled this year.\" The protest now had teeth and was quickly spreading. Riot police moved in around the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran and tear gas rained down on protestors.\n\nIn Jomhuri Eslami Street, a lone man sat down in front of advancing police officers on motorbikes, blocking their path. He pulled his coat over his head for protection as they strode towards him. The image has already become iconic, drawing comparisons to China's Tank Man, who famously stood in front of tanks rolling towards Tiananmen Square in 1989. The unidentified man was savagely beaten and dragged away. His identity is still a complete mystery.\n\nThe final two days of 2025 saw a rapid escalation in protest and security response. The government soon ordered widespread business shutdowns in 21 of Iran's 31 provinces, officially because of cold weather, but it was clear that they wanted closures to appear state-controlled rather than driven by protest.\n\nThis is where things started to get chaotic. Violent confrontations were now occurring across Iran, with several major cities experiencing unrest. Students poured onto the streets, chanting \"Death to Khamenei\", \"Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, My Life for Iran\" and \"We are all together.\" But the police responded and the numbers of those dragged into vehicles which then sped away began to climb.\n\nAnd it wasn't just the police. There were widespread reports that members of the Basij militia were also involved. With the rather misleading name, Organisation for Mobilisation of the Oppressed, the Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It was originally set up shortly after the 1979 Revolution to act as extra muscle, and today it's typically populated by zealous young Iranians with hardline views. And they can be a truly nasty bunch. Murder, torture, sexual violence, and targeting of minors – you name it, the Basij have been involved over the years.\n\nWhen they appeared in the final days of 2025, it was the clearest sign yet that the government felt like things were getting out of control. The first deaths started appearing. Amirhesam Khodayarifard was killed by a handgun shot to the head by an Iranian security force member in Kuhdasht, Lorestan province. There may or may not have been others, but at this point it was difficult to tell.\n\nThe pattern continued for the next week. Each day brought new protests that seemed to ripple through Iranian society. Some areas experienced more violence than others. In Malekshahi, Ilam province, 5 people were killed by gunfire, with a further 30 injured, while in Qom, footage appeared to show a dead protester killed by a grenade.\n\nBy 7th January, 45 protestors had been killed, with 2,076 arrested in at least 285 locations according to rights groups. But if the Iranian government thought such a crackdown would work, they were completely mistaken. Each day the numbers seemed to grow, the voices grew louder, and the demand for change more earnest. It felt like Iran was at a crossroads; either there would be genuine political and social change, or the country would descend into a bloodbath.\n\n## New Iran\n\nBut Iran had been here before, several times in fact. After the 1979 Revolution, the country exploded with zealousness. Images of old women in black chadors sporting AK-47s both shocked and fascinated the world. People talked openly about justice, independence, and a new political order. For some, it meant democracy. For others, it meant a strict Islamic system.\n\nCommittees formed at local levels and revolutionary groups took control of workplaces, neighbourhoods, and institutions. There was a sense that the country was being rebuilt in real time, often without clear rules about who was in charge.\n\nThe referendum in April 1979 formalised the creation of an Islamic Republic, and with the constitution that followed, all-powerful authority was handed to Ayatollah Khomeini. And that's where things started to get rather radical. Suddenly, the left-leaning students who had participated in the protest against the Shah, and who thought they were getting democracy, came face-to-face with the reality of the Iranian Revolution – suppression in a very different form. But change was still in the early stages at this point.\n\nIf things were shaky with the United States, relations completely fell off a cliff when protestors stormed the U.S. embassy on 4th November 1979 and detained more than 50 American hostages. At first, most around the world assumed a situation like this would be resolved relatively quickly, but no, it was not. In fact, those Americans remained in captivity for 444 days, until they were released shortly after President Reagan's inauguration in 1981. Iran had angered the beast, and much of the current animosity between the two countries stems from this incident.\n\nAt the same time that all of this was happening, the Iranian regime was tightening the screw on its own people. In 1980, the government shut down the country's universities entirely. Officially, this was to \"Islamise\" the education system, but in reality, it was about removing opposition. Students and professors were screened, and those associated with leftist or secular groups were expelled, arrested, or forced out.\n\nThousands of leftists were arrested. Some were detained for short periods, but many were held for years. Interrogations were harsh, and torture was widely reported by survivors. And often, the charges or accusations were ridiculous, at best. This was all about suppression, dismantling networks and eliminating organisation.\n\nThen came the executions. At first, they were tied to specific charges — armed opposition, involvement in attacks, or links to groups like the People's Mojahedin Organisation (MEK). But over time, the criteria widened. Exact numbers are tricky here, as these aren't figures Iran wants to broadcast. Historian Ervand Abrahamian, in his book *A History of Modern Iran*, estimated 8,000 to 12,000 executions between 1981 and 1985. If you speak to some, they'll tell you a figure much higher than that.\n\nAnd in the midst of all of this, regional tyrant Saddam Hussein thought this would be an opportune time to invade the new Islamic Republic of Iran. He assumed the country was weak and too politically unstable, but he was wrong.\n\nWhat followed was an eight-year war that became one of the longest and most destructive conflicts of the 20th century. Large sections of the front resembled trench warfare with waves of infantry attacks, heavy artillery, and long periods where neither side made meaningful gains. Cities were bombed, oil facilities targeted, and both sides attacked shipping in the Gulf. It was a bloody mess that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands, and when a ceasefire was agreed in 1988, the territorial lines were pretty much exactly where they had been. In terms of absolutely pointless conflicts, this one was right up there, but in the process, it strengthened the Iranian government and brought the country together.\n\n## Bloody Suppression\n\nOn the morning of 8th January 2026, with the death toll thought to be in the mid-forties, the Iranian government pulled the plug on the country's internet. Whatever was to come next, the Iranian government didn't want it online.\n\nDespite the ominous signs, protestors continued gathering across Iran, with huge numbers out in force in Tehran. Videos later emerged of mosques being attacked, and in Qaemiyeh, protesters pulled down a statue of Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC commander who was assassinated by the US in 2020 and declared a martyr by the Islamic Republic. This is also when reports of deaths within the security services started emerging, with a police officer in Malard County stabbed to death and two more killed during the protests in Kermanshah.\n\nWith minimal internet, the extent of what happened next is still heavily debated. Starlink networks did remain in partial operation, but Iran was under a dark cloak when the killings rapidly increased. It's not really known how it all started, or indeed who gave the order, but it's generally assumed that the ultimate directive came down from Khamenei.\n\nBefore the 8th January, doctors and nurses talked of pellet wounds to the back and hands, smoke inhalation, cuts, bruises – basically very survivable injuries. But then, in a matter of hours, the injuries that they were seeing changed completely. It was now bullet and stab wounds. These were no longer warnings, these were meant to kill.\n\nInitially, deaths in Tehran on 8th January were believed to be in the low hundreds, mostly from gunshot wounds, many to the face. Just 48 hours later, Iran International, a Persian TV channel based in London, was estimating more than 2,000 deaths as security forces increased their attacks. But that, it seemed, was a wild underestimation. A few days later, external sources were estimating that the number killed between the 8th and 10th of January was well above 10,000. U.S. President Donald Trump warned of severe consequences if the targeting of civilians continued, but at this stage, most thought external intervention highly unlikely.\n\nSo what happened? That is, at times, difficult to say. According to the *New York Times*, Khamenei gave an order on 8th or 9th January to the Supreme National Security Council to \"crush the protests by any means necessary\". Iran International stated this was a direct order to carry out the killings and that the three branches of government had knowledge and gave consent for the attacks. That order was then immediately passed to IRGC officers.\n\nA former IRGC detainee, known as \"Kazem\", later described what he saw after being released in exchange for cooperating with them. He said that on 7th January, he was told to report to an IRGC base in Tehran the next morning. When he arrived on 8th January, there were around 50 to 60 men there and each was given permission to use weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, and ammunition.\n\nHe said the operations followed two main methods. The first was what he called \"hunting leaders,\" which involved IRGC members mixing in with protesters and pretending to be part of the crowd. They would identify key members, then either shoot them from behind when they had the chance, or describe what they were wearing, so snipers could target them from rooftops.\n\nThe second method used was called \"crowd steering\", where large numbers of protestors would be funnelled by undercover operatives into specific areas where security forces were waiting, and then opened fire. The first method was to take out the key members of the protest, while the second was to kill as many people as possible. Kazem also claimed that many of the \"attacks\" on banks and mosques were actually false flag operations where security forces removed valuables before setting them on fire.\n\nThe stories of this period, and the subsequent weeks, are often horrifying, but also not always verifiable. There were numerous reports of security forces storming hospitals and either arresting or killing injured protestors inside. While other reports stated that members of the IRGC had been removing the bodies of killed protestors from the streets, but also in morgues where they had been taken.\n\nThis period was absolute chaos, and because of the fragmented, unconnected nature of it all, it's difficult to give a clear narrative. But what is clear is that across Iran, security forces, including the IRGC, Basij militia, and other aligned groups, started killing indiscriminately. And patterns started emerging. Gunshot wounds were predominantly to the face, heart, or genitals for men. The goal was either to kill, or maim in such a way that those injured would never dare rise up against the Iranian government again.\n\nThe chaos from the 8th to 10th of January proved to be the bloodiest period, which finally broke the protestors. After seeing what their own government was willing to do, most backed away in defeat. The Iranian government had finally smashed the resolve of the protest, but this story was just getting started.\n\n## Hope & Disappointment\n\nSince the Revolution of 1979, Iran has seen numerous protests that have, at times, made it seem like real change was close. And yet, every time, the regime slammed the door shut.\n\nIn 1992, riots erupted in Mashhad when thousands were evicted from informal settlements home to families who had originally moved to the area as migrant workers in the 1950s and 1960s. These shanty town dwellers are known as *koukhnishinan*, and for a while, many benefited from the land distribution programs.\n\nBut when the bulldozers rumbled towards the Kouy-e Tollab settlement in 1992, violence erupted, with six police officers killed in the mayhem. 300 people were arrested, and four were later hanged, according to the Middle East Research and Information Project.\n\nIn Qazvin, two years later, the city erupted. This time it wasn't about settlements, but rather the Iranian government's rejection of a bill that would have given Qazvin provincial status. With banks and businesses ransacked, security forces moved in and placed a virtual siege on the city. As many as 50 may have been killed, according to Iran Wire, though the government claimed just a few, while thousands were arrested.\n\nIn July 1999, Iran was shaken by its most serious unrest since the early years of the revolution. The protests began on 8th July, when students at Tehran University demonstrated peacefully against the closure of the reformist newspaper *Salam*, a move widely seen as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom.\n\nThat night, security forces and allied paramilitary groups stormed a university dormitory. Students were savagely beaten, with one reportedly killed, while rooms were set alight. The government wanted to send a message – protest and more, and you'll pay with your life.\n\nIt didn't work. What began as a contained protest quickly escalated into six days of nationwide unrest. Demonstrations spread to major cities, including Tabriz, Mashhad, and Shiraz, and things soon turned violent, with reports of street battles, damaged property, and widespread arrests. Official figures confirmed several deaths and hundreds injured, though student groups suggested higher numbers, especially as dozens of students simply disappeared. In the aftermath, more than 1,000 people were detained.\n\nNow this was an interesting time in Iran. Two years earlier, the country had elected the reformist Mohammad Khatami to the presidency in what was a bit of a shock. He talked about democracy, the rule of law, and better relations with countries around the world. Liberals and students loved him, and he swayed a good many who were just sick of the same old thing. He won by a wide margin, but as we said earlier, in Iran, just because you're the president, it doesn't mean you hold all the power.\n\nWhile he promoted press freedom, civil society, and political openness, key institutions—including the judiciary and security forces—remained under hardline control. Newspapers were routinely shut down, activists arrested, and reforms blocked, while the unelected Guardian Council restricted political participation by vetting candidates. What began with great hope, eventually stalled despite Khatami also winning the next election.\n\nDuring this period, student anger again rose in frustration at what they felt was Iran being hamstrung by extreme conservative views. Despite the right man in the job, everybody knew that the real power lay with Ayatollah Khamenei, who had succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini when he died in 1989.\n\nIn 2005, the presidential election saw hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad come to power after beating Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a runoff. Four years later, Ahmadinejad won again, with what many saw as blatant vote rigging. His opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and many of his supporters rejected the result, alleging widespread electoral fraud.\n\nInitial demonstrations were largely peaceful, centred on the slogan \"Where is my vote?\" with hundreds of thousands gathering in Tehran and other major cities, calling for the election to be annulled. The colour green, originally associated with Mousavi's campaign, became a broader symbol of unity and reform.\n\nHowever, the state response was swift and forceful. Security forces, including riot police and the Basij militia, used batons, tear gas, and live ammunition to disperse crowds. Dozens were killed, and hundreds—eventually thousands—were arrested, including journalists, students, and political figures. Despite continued protests through late 2009, the movement was gradually ground down by a regime that had become experts in dismantling dissent.\n\nA decade later, anger over fuel prices quickly led to widespread protests that the government put down with a savagery that was shocking even for the Iranian regime. The number of those killed during Blood November 2019 is thought to be over 1,500, but as always, nobody is ever quite sure.\n\n## The Death of Mahsa Amini\n\nAs the blood began to dry on Iranian streets after the massacres of early 2026, the number of those killed was heavily disputed. It was, almost certainly, in the tens of thousands. But less than three years earlier, it had been the suspicious death of just one person that had rocked Iran.\n\nOn 13th September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Saqqez in northwestern Iran was in Tehran with her brother near the Shahid Haghani Expressway, when she was stopped by Iran's Guidance Patrol, commonly known as the morality police. They accused her of not wearing her hijab correctly, and she was taken into custody. Her brother was told she would be taken to a detention centre for a short \"briefing class\" and released soon after.\n\nThree days later, she died in hospital. Iranian authorities said she had suffered a heart attack while in custody and denied that she had been mistreated, but eyewitnesses and other detainees in the facility said she had been severely beaten. Images from leaked medical records led many to suspect head trauma as the cause of death.\n\nProtests, which began outside the hospital where she lay in a coma for three days, quickly spread to become the most significant since the Green Movement of 2009. Hundreds of thousands protested, often peacefully, but that didn't mean there was no blood. In the weeks that followed, Iran International placed the number of civilian fatalities at 467, through live fire, beatings, and tear gas. It was yet another shocking chapter, but the worst was soon to come.\n\nBy the time of the 2025 protest, thousands had already died in Iran since 1979 at the hands of government forces, militia, or by execution. In reality, we'll never know a true figure, but what happened in just a few hellish days in January 2026 proved to be the nation's darkest chapter.\n\n## Chaos & Confusion\n\nAs the dust settled, on 10th January 2026, the situation was unclear. The Iranian government, for the time being, was tight-lipped, but just over ten days later, it reported that just over 3,000 \"rioters\" had been killed. Health sources on the ground, along with foreign media outlets, including the *Guardian*, *Time*, and Iran International, have since put the figure at over 30,000 – making it the deadliest massacre in modern Iranian history by some distance.\n\nBut for many, the pain and suffering was just beginning. With the internet blackout still in place, and telecommunications also affected, finding out what had happened to loved ones was a painful nightmare in itself. Hospital morgues were packed, so dead bodies were often taken to sports halls, other large venues, or simply laid out in the street. Over the coming days, families and friends who could not contact individuals began the grim process of trying to find bodies among the thousands. Videos of this period, with the air filled with wailing and desperation, are difficult to watch.\n\nWhen bodies were identified, the savageness of what had happened became clear. Some carried the hallmarks of executions with close-range bullet wounds, sometimes to the back of the head. Some bodies still had catheters, nasogastric tubes or endotracheal tubes attached to them. It was clear, these people had died while still under medical supervision, often dragged from hospital beds or shot where they lay.\n\nIn some shocking cases, families faced intimidation once they identified a body. Either they were required to comply with the government version of events, and in the worst cases, forced to pay to have the bodies of their loved ones returned to them – with figures of $5,000 to $7,000 sometimes bandied around. There were even several instances where family members were told that they would need to pay for the bullets used to kill.\n\nOn the 10th January, municipal workers were tasked with collecting spent bullet cartridges in Tehran and returning them to security forces. Now that the protest had been crushed, the goal of suppressing the truth began. Iran didn't want firm figures, and the government did everything it could to muddy the waters. Medical personnel were discouraged from reporting accurate causes of death, while bodies were moved from one area to another to confuse on-the-ground estimates.\n\nIn some cases, bodies were collected and placed into mass burial sites without their relatives' knowledge or consent. In an Islamic country where burial rights carry the utmost importance, it was a cruel, spiteful act. Some staff members at burial sites refused, either because of their moral beliefs or the fear of reprisals when families learnt what had happened.\n\nAnd for many, the oppressive fear meant that thousands were too scared to go to hospitals, even with life-threatening injuries. Some managed to stagger home. Some never made it.\n\nOn 11th January, Iran managed to halt most Starlink internet communication and security forces started seizing CCTV footage of the protest, both to try and identify individuals, but also to ensure that such footage didn't wind up on foreign news channels. They also set up checkpoints and people moving through were asked to show photos and videos on their phones. If there was something they didn't like, that phone would be smashed to pieces and the owner might even find themselves in custody.\n\nThe country moved into full suppression mode as internet connectivity dropped to its lowest point. At the same time, it was reported that pro-government editors were active during the crackdown on Wikipedia and similar platforms, deleting and sanitising content related to the Islamic Republic's human rights record. According to the Free Press, this process had been going on for the best part of a year.\n\nThe Iranian government announced a nationwide curfew that they hoped would, once and for all, stamp out dissent. At this point, tens of thousands had been detained, so when Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of detained protesters during his Friday prayer, it looked like the death toll could climb significantly. On 21st January, the government announced that the protest had been fully suppressed.\n\n## The Scale of the Atrocities\n\nWhile further small-scale protests did emerge, they remained constrained compared to what came before. Student protests began on 21st February, coinciding with the new school semester and a 40-day memorial of those killed in the previous round of protests, but the edge had been dulled.\n\nYet many still didn't have a complete narrative of what had occurred, and to be honest, even now we don't. There were still plenty of holes, but gradually the fragments began to emerge.\n\nOne point that many found horrifying and difficult to understand was how Iranians could kill Iranians with such indiscrimination. It's easy to think of government crackdowns as some giant faceless overlord, but at the end of the day, a human had to point a weapon at another human and pull the trigger.\n\nBut in the weeks after the massacre, it became clear that, often, it wasn't Iranians doing the killing. Now we do need to say that these claims are not completely verified, but have been reported from multiple sources indicating that foreign Shia militias aligned with Tehran were deployed to assist in suppressing unrest.\n\nThese groups reportedly included elements of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and units such as Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainabiyoun, composed of Afghan and Pakistani fighters. As early as 2nd January, Iraqi militias had begun recruiting personnel to support Iranian authorities.\n\nThese fighters then apparently crossed the border under the pretext of religious pilgrimage, travelling through key crossings before being assembled in Ahvaz and deployed to protest-hit areas. By mid-January, estimates suggested that several thousand militia members may have entered the country.\n\nThe methods used in the suppression quickly widened. This wasn't just handguns and sniper rifles, and there were various reports of machine guns being used to kill huge numbers, notably in the town of Fardis.\n\nAnd it gets even more horrific. While details here are still vague and, again, not completely verified, there have been claims that security forces may have used chemical weapons at various points. Footage circulated showing security personnel wearing hazmat suits and protective masks and many have stated that gas had been used to not only disperse crowds, but also to corner them. Protesters allegedly experienced severe respiratory distress, burning sensations to the eyes and skin, vomiting blood, and sudden physical weakness. Some did not die immediately, but succumbed days later, suggesting possible delayed effects consistent with toxic exposure.\n\nThen there were reports of detainees being injected with unknown substances while in custody and the subsequent mysterious deaths. Torture and sexual violence have also been common for those behind bars. This was the horror show that just kept going on and on.\n\nThe Iranian government handed out a flurry of death sentences immediately after the protest, with as many as 800 reported by foreign media and President Trump, yet Iran denied that figure. While many have not been officially carried out, an unknown number have unofficially been killed, either through lethal injection or other means that could be passed off as protest casualties or suicides.\n\nAs the end of February neared, a dark unease hung over Iran. What would come next? What can people really do after such a massacre?\n\n## War\n\nWhen Donald Trump threatened Iran with a \"locked and loaded\" military intervention if Iran killed protesters in early January, it was easy to dismiss it as yet more hot air and loose talk from the U.S. President.\n\nBut that was not the case. On 28th February, the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on targets across Iran and Operation Epic Fury, Operation Roaring Lion according to Israel, had begun. Within hours, Trump gave a short speech released on Truth Social where he stated the aims of the strike were regime change. It said: Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.\n\nIn response, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, but also at its Gulf neighbours that it deemed friendly to the United States. Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were all targeted.\n\nThe following day, the same pattern continued as Iran's military infrastructure was gradually flattened. Then, a vague announcement by U.S. officials, that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei might be dead. A day after the attacks commenced, it was confirmed inside Iran, an announcement that brought scenes of grief and jubilation.\n\nAs we write this, this conflict is still ongoing. If President Trump expected the Iranian people to rise up again and finally topple the regime that has killed thousands, it hasn't happened yet. Security forces remain a strong presence in towns and cities and dissent is quickly stamped out.\n\nThe Iranian people are fearful, but still hopeful. The massacres of early 2026 were on such a scale, that they have dealt a near knock-out blow to homegrown regime change for the time being. The U.S. and Israel are not about to invade Iran, but after the chaos of recent months, it's difficult to see what happens next. Will the protests bow to oppression, or is it just the start of an entirely new Iran?\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- Protests in Iran began in December 2025 due to economic hardships and quickly escalated.\n- The Iranian government's violent response resulted in thousands of deaths by January 2026.\n- Historically, Iran has faced numerous uprisings met with brutal government suppression.\n- The 2026 protests were the deadliest in modern Iranian history, with estimates exceeding 30,000 deaths.\n- The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February 2026, aiming for regime change.\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### When did the protests in Iran begin in 2025?\n\nThe protests in Iran began on 28th December 2025 with shopkeepers closing their shops in the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran.\n\n### What was the initial government response to the protests?\n\nThe government initially acted with relative constraint, using tear gas, causing deaths, and mass arrests, and shutting down the internet to try and stop the protests.\n\n### When did the killings of protesters start?\n\nThe killings started a few days after the protests began, with police, armed forces, and militias shooting indiscriminately into crowds.\n\n### How did the Iranian government control the narrative during the protests?\n\nThe Iranian government controlled the narrative by shutting down the internet, moving bodies to confuse estimates, and discouraging medical personnel from reporting accurate causes of death.\n\n### What role did foreign militias play in the suppression of the protests?\n\nForeign Shia militias aligned with Tehran, including elements of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and units composed of Afghan and Pakistani fighters, were reportedly deployed to assist in suppressing the unrest.\n\n### What was the scale of the atrocities during the protests?\n\nThe scale of the atrocities was immense, with estimates suggesting over 30,000 deaths, the use of chemical weapons, and widespread torture and sexual violence against detainees.\n\n### What was the international response to the killings?\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump threatened severe consequences if the targeting of civilians continued, but external intervention was considered highly unlikely.\n\n### What was the impact of the protests on the Iranian people?\n\nThe protests dealt a near knock-out blow to homegrown regime change, leaving the Iranian people fearful but still hopeful for the future.\n\n### What was the outcome of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran?\n\nThe strikes aimed for regime change, but as of the time of the article, the conflict was still ongoing and the Iranian people were fearful but hopeful.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Original Into the Shadows video: When the Iranian Government Massacred Its Own People.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtiHBU3Giq8)\n- [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Shadowy_figures_%282016_04_03_shadow_silhouettes_to_at-cc%29.jpg) by P. Horálek/ESO / openverse, by.\n\n## Related Coverage"
url: https://intotheshadows.pub/article/when-the-iranian-government-massacred-its-own-people.md
canonical: https://intotheshadows.pub/article/when-the-iranian-government-massacred-its-own-people
datePublished: 2026-06-27
dateModified: 2026-06-27
author:
  - name: Simon Whistler
    url: https://intotheshadows.pub/author/simon-whistler
publisher: Into the Shadows
image: "https://media.intotheshadows.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/QtiHBU3Giq8/hero.jpg"
type: Article
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summaryUrl: https://intotheshadows.pub/article/when-the-iranian-government-massacred-its-own-people.md.summary.md
---

<!-- aeo:section start="lede" -->
It began as angry rumblings in Tehran's bazaars and commercial districts, most notably the Alaeddin Shopping Centre — shopkeepers irritated about inflation, bitterness over how the economy was sinking. On 28th December 2025, a small protest saw shops across the centre close. It was a relatively small, simple act, but it lit a fuse and within a matter of days, protests had exploded across Iran.

By 8th January 2026, huge numbers were protesting across all 31 Iranian provinces. There were calls for genuine change and some opposition figures even demanded a referendum on the future of the country. The government had so far acted with relative constraint, which still involved tear gas, death, and mass arrest, but hoped that by shutting down the internet the protest might eventually fizzle out. Except it didn't.

And that's when it all began – when the killings started. Police, armed forces, and militias shot indiscriminately into crowds, killing thousands. Just a few days later, the death toll was enormous — though exact numbers remained hard to determine. Bodies were being withheld, while some were buried in mass graves with their family's consent.

The protest finally came to an end, thanks to the bloody, blunt fist of the Iranian government that showed its people, and the world, that it was willing to massacre civilians en masse to retain its control.

Yet while this became the largest massacre in modern Iranian history, this was simply the continuation of a pattern. Since the 1970s, Iran has been plagued by turmoil, with regular uprisings receiving the same violent tactics. The people persist, the government responds viciously. It's a hellish Catch-22 that Iranians have, sadly, grown to live with. But still, what occurred over just a few days in January 2026, was brutality on an entirely different scale.

<!-- aeo:section end="lede" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="modern-iran" -->
## Modern Iran

Where do you even start with Iran? This is a country that has been through so much change in the last 70 years, and still manages to polarise like few other nations on Earth.

Let's begin with Iran's cultural and political setup. On paper, Iran looks like a solid democracy. It holds elections, people vote, there's always a winner, but it's all somewhat of a masquerade. Because, in Iran, real power isn't held by the politicians, but ultimately by the unelected Supreme Leader, who, from 1989 and until he was killed during U.S-Israeli airstrikes in late February 2026, was Ali Khamenei.

This Ayatollah had some pretty extreme views on Iran's neighbours, and in particular Israel and the United States. He was fairly unpopular around the world, that is, unless Iran was funnelling weapons to you — Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, we're talking about you — and in that case, he was your best friend.

At the time of the protest, which began on 28th December 2025, Iran was sliding. International sanctions continued to bite, and there was a sharp depreciation of the Iranian Rial. Basic items like eggs, bread, and cooking oil became exorbitantly expensive, power cuts were common, and there were even water shortages in some parts of the country. The depreciation of the Rial and the volatile price fluctuations made it impossible to plan ahead. For shopkeepers, it was chaotic. For buyers, it was like Russian roulette. Food prices had risen by 72%, while health and medical goods increased 50% year-on-year.

So why was a country like Iran, rich in natural resources and with a modern infrastructure struggling so badly? Well, a large part of this comes down to geopolitics. Iran hasn't exactly ingratiated itself to the world over the last few decades, and when you have an enemy like the United States, you quickly learn how much power a superpower really wields.

Iran's continued nuclear weapons program — or as the Iranian government says, what nuclear weapons program? — has long been an issue of discontent. With the Ayatollah's rhetoric against certain neighbouring countries, you can kind of understand why there are multiple countries around the world that don't want Iran to get a nuclear weapon.

We'll be coming back to a few of these points later, but let's leave this section with the events of 28th December in the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran. At this point, the value of the Iranian rial had sunk to a record low of 1.40 million per US dollar, according to Reuters, and a group of shopkeepers decided to simultaneously close their shops and stalls in protest at the country's economic state.

It was a relatively small act, confined to the shopping centre and the surrounding streets, but soon social media was flooded with images and video showing small crowds chanting about the mismanagement that had destroyed Iran's economy. And they weren't blaming the United States or Israel, they were pointing the finger firmly at the Iranian government. It was small, fairly insignificant, but great change generally starts in this way.

<!-- aeo:section end="modern-iran" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="the-shah-the-revolution" -->
## The Shah & the Revolution

To understand why the chaos played out how it did, we need to look back at a period that defined modern Iran.

In the early 1900s, Iran was ruled by the Qajar dynasty, whose power extended well outside modern Iran. This had been the status quo since the 18th, but by the early 1920s, people had had enough. Politics were a mess, while foreign muddling was common, particularly the United Kingdom and Russia.

In 1921, a military coup, led by Reza Khan, took control with little resistance. Instead of immediately going for the jugular, he installed himself as Prime Minister, and bided his time. In 1925, Ahmad Shah Qajar was formally removed, and Reza Khan became the country's new Shah.

Fast-forward to World War II, and the allies weren't exactly keen on their man in Iran who they viewed as weak and even worse, possibly a secret Hitler fan. Iran was strategically important, as it was the main corridor between North Africa and the Soviet Union after Germany invaded the USSR during Operation Barbarossa. So both the UK and the Soviet Union invaded to keep everything nice and secure, and chose to place the Shah's son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne at the tender age of 21.

Things remained relatively stable in the region until 1953, and it all came down to oil. The Anglo-Iranian oil company had seen huge profits for years, much of it leaving Iran and trickling back to certain pockets in the UK. So, when Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh announced that Iran would be nationalising its oil industry, therefore keeping profits in Iran, the UK wasn't happy. The U.S. also wasn't impressed, and together the Anglo-American tag team threw their weight behind an internal coup that forced Mossadegh out and placed more power with the Shah, who, of course, was more than happy to open things up even more and allow the two foreign nations to continue bleeding Iran dry.

The following decade is known as the White Revolution, which saw a huge modernisation drive across Iran. This included an expansion of education, land redistribution, huge industrial growth, and women's rights. If you look at images from this period, you'll see women in mini-skirts, their hair flowing freely, their faces with make-up. In many ways, it was a glorious time for Iran.

And yet, there were some glaring issues. Firstly, the Shah had become a tyrannical yet smiling despot with an outrageous lust for luxury. In October 1971, he held what was, by most accounts, one of the most extravagant celebrations in modern history.

It was staged in the ruins of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, and was meant to mark 2,500 years of Persian monarchy. The Shah wasn't just presenting himself as a ruler — he was placing himself in a line that stretched back to Cyrus the Great — and threw a party that reportedly cost $100 million – that's around $800 million today. It was outrageous in the most outrageous way. Trees were planted in the desert, with no water to sustain them. Exotic birds were flown in from around the world that died straight away because, well, it's the desert. Food from Paris. I think you get the idea.

The Shah's party infuriated many across Iran at a time when the gap between rich and poor was becoming a gaping divide. Yes, the country seemed to be doing well, but millions were struggling.

The other factor was that social change was barrelling forward at a speed many deemed unacceptable. Iran was becoming too western and losing its core values. The religious traditions were being eroded, railed a cleric named Ruhollah Khomeini, who was then forced into exile.

By the mid 1970s, anger was rising, and the Shah's security forces responded in the way dictatorships tend to. People were dragged away, never to be seen again. Fear was prevalent and many assumed spies were everywhere.

In 1978, massive protests exploded across Iran, and while the Shah hung on, he was eventually forced to flee the following year. Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran and received a welcome of astonishing size, with millions greeting his plane or gathering in Tehran. Revolution was in the air, and for the Iranian people, everything was about to change.

<!-- aeo:section end="the-shah-the-revolution" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="escalation" -->
## Escalation

29th December 2025. Many assumed that the shopkeepers' protest from the previous day was just a one-off, but instead, it grew and spread to various parts of Tehran, including the Grand Bazaar.

More videos appeared, with people chanting slogans like "Death to the Dictator", which had become a commonly used phrase in protest for years, and "Khamenei will be toppled this year." The protest now had teeth and was quickly spreading. Riot police moved in around the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran and tear gas rained down on protestors.

In Jomhuri Eslami Street, a lone man sat down in front of advancing police officers on motorbikes, blocking their path. He pulled his coat over his head for protection as they strode towards him. The image has already become iconic, drawing comparisons to China's Tank Man, who famously stood in front of tanks rolling towards Tiananmen Square in 1989. The unidentified man was savagely beaten and dragged away. His identity is still a complete mystery.

The final two days of 2025 saw a rapid escalation in protest and security response. The government soon ordered widespread business shutdowns in 21 of Iran's 31 provinces, officially because of cold weather, but it was clear that they wanted closures to appear state-controlled rather than driven by protest.

This is where things started to get chaotic. Violent confrontations were now occurring across Iran, with several major cities experiencing unrest. Students poured onto the streets, chanting "Death to Khamenei", "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, My Life for Iran" and "We are all together." But the police responded and the numbers of those dragged into vehicles which then sped away began to climb.

And it wasn't just the police. There were widespread reports that members of the Basij militia were also involved. With the rather misleading name, Organisation for Mobilisation of the Oppressed, the Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It was originally set up shortly after the 1979 Revolution to act as extra muscle, and today it's typically populated by zealous young Iranians with hardline views. And they can be a truly nasty bunch. Murder, torture, sexual violence, and targeting of minors – you name it, the Basij have been involved over the years.

When they appeared in the final days of 2025, it was the clearest sign yet that the government felt like things were getting out of control. The first deaths started appearing. Amirhesam Khodayarifard was killed by a handgun shot to the head by an Iranian security force member in Kuhdasht, Lorestan province. There may or may not have been others, but at this point it was difficult to tell.

The pattern continued for the next week. Each day brought new protests that seemed to ripple through Iranian society. Some areas experienced more violence than others. In Malekshahi, Ilam province, 5 people were killed by gunfire, with a further 30 injured, while in Qom, footage appeared to show a dead protester killed by a grenade.

By 7th January, 45 protestors had been killed, with 2,076 arrested in at least 285 locations according to rights groups. But if the Iranian government thought such a crackdown would work, they were completely mistaken. Each day the numbers seemed to grow, the voices grew louder, and the demand for change more earnest. It felt like Iran was at a crossroads; either there would be genuine political and social change, or the country would descend into a bloodbath.

<!-- aeo:section end="escalation" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="new-iran" -->
## New Iran

But Iran had been here before, several times in fact. After the 1979 Revolution, the country exploded with zealousness. Images of old women in black chadors sporting AK-47s both shocked and fascinated the world. People talked openly about justice, independence, and a new political order. For some, it meant democracy. For others, it meant a strict Islamic system.

Committees formed at local levels and revolutionary groups took control of workplaces, neighbourhoods, and institutions. There was a sense that the country was being rebuilt in real time, often without clear rules about who was in charge.

The referendum in April 1979 formalised the creation of an Islamic Republic, and with the constitution that followed, all-powerful authority was handed to Ayatollah Khomeini. And that's where things started to get rather radical. Suddenly, the left-leaning students who had participated in the protest against the Shah, and who thought they were getting democracy, came face-to-face with the reality of the Iranian Revolution – suppression in a very different form. But change was still in the early stages at this point.

If things were shaky with the United States, relations completely fell off a cliff when protestors stormed the U.S. embassy on 4th November 1979 and detained more than 50 American hostages. At first, most around the world assumed a situation like this would be resolved relatively quickly, but no, it was not. In fact, those Americans remained in captivity for 444 days, until they were released shortly after President Reagan's inauguration in 1981. Iran had angered the beast, and much of the current animosity between the two countries stems from this incident.

At the same time that all of this was happening, the Iranian regime was tightening the screw on its own people. In 1980, the government shut down the country's universities entirely. Officially, this was to "Islamise" the education system, but in reality, it was about removing opposition. Students and professors were screened, and those associated with leftist or secular groups were expelled, arrested, or forced out.

Thousands of leftists were arrested. Some were detained for short periods, but many were held for years. Interrogations were harsh, and torture was widely reported by survivors. And often, the charges or accusations were ridiculous, at best. This was all about suppression, dismantling networks and eliminating organisation.

Then came the executions. At first, they were tied to specific charges — armed opposition, involvement in attacks, or links to groups like the People's Mojahedin Organisation (MEK). But over time, the criteria widened. Exact numbers are tricky here, as these aren't figures Iran wants to broadcast. Historian Ervand Abrahamian, in his book *A History of Modern Iran*, estimated 8,000 to 12,000 executions between 1981 and 1985. If you speak to some, they'll tell you a figure much higher than that.

And in the midst of all of this, regional tyrant Saddam Hussein thought this would be an opportune time to invade the new Islamic Republic of Iran. He assumed the country was weak and too politically unstable, but he was wrong.

What followed was an eight-year war that became one of the longest and most destructive conflicts of the 20th century. Large sections of the front resembled trench warfare with waves of infantry attacks, heavy artillery, and long periods where neither side made meaningful gains. Cities were bombed, oil facilities targeted, and both sides attacked shipping in the Gulf. It was a bloody mess that cost the lives of hundreds of thousands, and when a ceasefire was agreed in 1988, the territorial lines were pretty much exactly where they had been. In terms of absolutely pointless conflicts, this one was right up there, but in the process, it strengthened the Iranian government and brought the country together.

<!-- aeo:section end="new-iran" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="bloody-suppression" -->
## Bloody Suppression

On the morning of 8th January 2026, with the death toll thought to be in the mid-forties, the Iranian government pulled the plug on the country's internet. Whatever was to come next, the Iranian government didn't want it online.

Despite the ominous signs, protestors continued gathering across Iran, with huge numbers out in force in Tehran. Videos later emerged of mosques being attacked, and in Qaemiyeh, protesters pulled down a statue of Qasem Soleimani, an IRGC commander who was assassinated by the US in 2020 and declared a martyr by the Islamic Republic. This is also when reports of deaths within the security services started emerging, with a police officer in Malard County stabbed to death and two more killed during the protests in Kermanshah.

With minimal internet, the extent of what happened next is still heavily debated. Starlink networks did remain in partial operation, but Iran was under a dark cloak when the killings rapidly increased. It's not really known how it all started, or indeed who gave the order, but it's generally assumed that the ultimate directive came down from Khamenei.

Before the 8th January, doctors and nurses talked of pellet wounds to the back and hands, smoke inhalation, cuts, bruises – basically very survivable injuries. But then, in a matter of hours, the injuries that they were seeing changed completely. It was now bullet and stab wounds. These were no longer warnings, these were meant to kill.

Initially, deaths in Tehran on 8th January were believed to be in the low hundreds, mostly from gunshot wounds, many to the face. Just 48 hours later, Iran International, a Persian TV channel based in London, was estimating more than 2,000 deaths as security forces increased their attacks. But that, it seemed, was a wild underestimation. A few days later, external sources were estimating that the number killed between the 8th and 10th of January was well above 10,000. U.S. President Donald Trump warned of severe consequences if the targeting of civilians continued, but at this stage, most thought external intervention highly unlikely.

So what happened? That is, at times, difficult to say. According to the *New York Times*, Khamenei gave an order on 8th or 9th January to the Supreme National Security Council to "crush the protests by any means necessary". Iran International stated this was a direct order to carry out the killings and that the three branches of government had knowledge and gave consent for the attacks. That order was then immediately passed to IRGC officers.

A former IRGC detainee, known as "Kazem", later described what he saw after being released in exchange for cooperating with them. He said that on 7th January, he was told to report to an IRGC base in Tehran the next morning. When he arrived on 8th January, there were around 50 to 60 men there and each was given permission to use weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles, handguns, and ammunition.

He said the operations followed two main methods. The first was what he called "hunting leaders," which involved IRGC members mixing in with protesters and pretending to be part of the crowd. They would identify key members, then either shoot them from behind when they had the chance, or describe what they were wearing, so snipers could target them from rooftops.

The second method used was called "crowd steering", where large numbers of protestors would be funnelled by undercover operatives into specific areas where security forces were waiting, and then opened fire. The first method was to take out the key members of the protest, while the second was to kill as many people as possible. Kazem also claimed that many of the "attacks" on banks and mosques were actually false flag operations where security forces removed valuables before setting them on fire.

The stories of this period, and the subsequent weeks, are often horrifying, but also not always verifiable. There were numerous reports of security forces storming hospitals and either arresting or killing injured protestors inside. While other reports stated that members of the IRGC had been removing the bodies of killed protestors from the streets, but also in morgues where they had been taken.

This period was absolute chaos, and because of the fragmented, unconnected nature of it all, it's difficult to give a clear narrative. But what is clear is that across Iran, security forces, including the IRGC, Basij militia, and other aligned groups, started killing indiscriminately. And patterns started emerging. Gunshot wounds were predominantly to the face, heart, or genitals for men. The goal was either to kill, or maim in such a way that those injured would never dare rise up against the Iranian government again.

The chaos from the 8th to 10th of January proved to be the bloodiest period, which finally broke the protestors. After seeing what their own government was willing to do, most backed away in defeat. The Iranian government had finally smashed the resolve of the protest, but this story was just getting started.

<!-- aeo:section end="bloody-suppression" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="hope-disappointment" -->
## Hope & Disappointment

Since the Revolution of 1979, Iran has seen numerous protests that have, at times, made it seem like real change was close. And yet, every time, the regime slammed the door shut.

In 1992, riots erupted in Mashhad when thousands were evicted from informal settlements home to families who had originally moved to the area as migrant workers in the 1950s and 1960s. These shanty town dwellers are known as *koukhnishinan*, and for a while, many benefited from the land distribution programs.

But when the bulldozers rumbled towards the Kouy-e Tollab settlement in 1992, violence erupted, with six police officers killed in the mayhem. 300 people were arrested, and four were later hanged, according to the Middle East Research and Information Project.

In Qazvin, two years later, the city erupted. This time it wasn't about settlements, but rather the Iranian government's rejection of a bill that would have given Qazvin provincial status. With banks and businesses ransacked, security forces moved in and placed a virtual siege on the city. As many as 50 may have been killed, according to Iran Wire, though the government claimed just a few, while thousands were arrested.

In July 1999, Iran was shaken by its most serious unrest since the early years of the revolution. The protests began on 8th July, when students at Tehran University demonstrated peacefully against the closure of the reformist newspaper *Salam*, a move widely seen as part of a broader crackdown on press freedom.

That night, security forces and allied paramilitary groups stormed a university dormitory. Students were savagely beaten, with one reportedly killed, while rooms were set alight. The government wanted to send a message – protest and more, and you'll pay with your life.

It didn't work. What began as a contained protest quickly escalated into six days of nationwide unrest. Demonstrations spread to major cities, including Tabriz, Mashhad, and Shiraz, and things soon turned violent, with reports of street battles, damaged property, and widespread arrests. Official figures confirmed several deaths and hundreds injured, though student groups suggested higher numbers, especially as dozens of students simply disappeared. In the aftermath, more than 1,000 people were detained.

Now this was an interesting time in Iran. Two years earlier, the country had elected the reformist Mohammad Khatami to the presidency in what was a bit of a shock. He talked about democracy, the rule of law, and better relations with countries around the world. Liberals and students loved him, and he swayed a good many who were just sick of the same old thing. He won by a wide margin, but as we said earlier, in Iran, just because you're the president, it doesn't mean you hold all the power.

While he promoted press freedom, civil society, and political openness, key institutions—including the judiciary and security forces—remained under hardline control. Newspapers were routinely shut down, activists arrested, and reforms blocked, while the unelected Guardian Council restricted political participation by vetting candidates. What began with great hope, eventually stalled despite Khatami also winning the next election.

During this period, student anger again rose in frustration at what they felt was Iran being hamstrung by extreme conservative views. Despite the right man in the job, everybody knew that the real power lay with Ayatollah Khamenei, who had succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini when he died in 1989.

In 2005, the presidential election saw hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad come to power after beating Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in a runoff. Four years later, Ahmadinejad won again, with what many saw as blatant vote rigging. His opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and many of his supporters rejected the result, alleging widespread electoral fraud.

Initial demonstrations were largely peaceful, centred on the slogan "Where is my vote?" with hundreds of thousands gathering in Tehran and other major cities, calling for the election to be annulled. The colour green, originally associated with Mousavi's campaign, became a broader symbol of unity and reform.

However, the state response was swift and forceful. Security forces, including riot police and the Basij militia, used batons, tear gas, and live ammunition to disperse crowds. Dozens were killed, and hundreds—eventually thousands—were arrested, including journalists, students, and political figures. Despite continued protests through late 2009, the movement was gradually ground down by a regime that had become experts in dismantling dissent.

A decade later, anger over fuel prices quickly led to widespread protests that the government put down with a savagery that was shocking even for the Iranian regime. The number of those killed during Blood November 2019 is thought to be over 1,500, but as always, nobody is ever quite sure.

<!-- aeo:section end="hope-disappointment" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="the-death-of-mahsa-amini" -->
## The Death of Mahsa Amini

As the blood began to dry on Iranian streets after the massacres of early 2026, the number of those killed was heavily disputed. It was, almost certainly, in the tens of thousands. But less than three years earlier, it had been the suspicious death of just one person that had rocked Iran.

On 13th September 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Saqqez in northwestern Iran was in Tehran with her brother near the Shahid Haghani Expressway, when she was stopped by Iran's Guidance Patrol, commonly known as the morality police. They accused her of not wearing her hijab correctly, and she was taken into custody. Her brother was told she would be taken to a detention centre for a short "briefing class" and released soon after.

Three days later, she died in hospital. Iranian authorities said she had suffered a heart attack while in custody and denied that she had been mistreated, but eyewitnesses and other detainees in the facility said she had been severely beaten. Images from leaked medical records led many to suspect head trauma as the cause of death.

Protests, which began outside the hospital where she lay in a coma for three days, quickly spread to become the most significant since the Green Movement of 2009. Hundreds of thousands protested, often peacefully, but that didn't mean there was no blood. In the weeks that followed, Iran International placed the number of civilian fatalities at 467, through live fire, beatings, and tear gas. It was yet another shocking chapter, but the worst was soon to come.

By the time of the 2025 protest, thousands had already died in Iran since 1979 at the hands of government forces, militia, or by execution. In reality, we'll never know a true figure, but what happened in just a few hellish days in January 2026 proved to be the nation's darkest chapter.

<!-- aeo:section end="the-death-of-mahsa-amini" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="chaos-confusion" -->
## Chaos & Confusion

As the dust settled, on 10th January 2026, the situation was unclear. The Iranian government, for the time being, was tight-lipped, but just over ten days later, it reported that just over 3,000 "rioters" had been killed. Health sources on the ground, along with foreign media outlets, including the *Guardian*, *Time*, and Iran International, have since put the figure at over 30,000 – making it the deadliest massacre in modern Iranian history by some distance.

But for many, the pain and suffering was just beginning. With the internet blackout still in place, and telecommunications also affected, finding out what had happened to loved ones was a painful nightmare in itself. Hospital morgues were packed, so dead bodies were often taken to sports halls, other large venues, or simply laid out in the street. Over the coming days, families and friends who could not contact individuals began the grim process of trying to find bodies among the thousands. Videos of this period, with the air filled with wailing and desperation, are difficult to watch.

When bodies were identified, the savageness of what had happened became clear. Some carried the hallmarks of executions with close-range bullet wounds, sometimes to the back of the head. Some bodies still had catheters, nasogastric tubes or endotracheal tubes attached to them. It was clear, these people had died while still under medical supervision, often dragged from hospital beds or shot where they lay.

In some shocking cases, families faced intimidation once they identified a body. Either they were required to comply with the government version of events, and in the worst cases, forced to pay to have the bodies of their loved ones returned to them – with figures of $5,000 to $7,000 sometimes bandied around. There were even several instances where family members were told that they would need to pay for the bullets used to kill.

On the 10th January, municipal workers were tasked with collecting spent bullet cartridges in Tehran and returning them to security forces. Now that the protest had been crushed, the goal of suppressing the truth began. Iran didn't want firm figures, and the government did everything it could to muddy the waters. Medical personnel were discouraged from reporting accurate causes of death, while bodies were moved from one area to another to confuse on-the-ground estimates.

In some cases, bodies were collected and placed into mass burial sites without their relatives' knowledge or consent. In an Islamic country where burial rights carry the utmost importance, it was a cruel, spiteful act. Some staff members at burial sites refused, either because of their moral beliefs or the fear of reprisals when families learnt what had happened.

And for many, the oppressive fear meant that thousands were too scared to go to hospitals, even with life-threatening injuries. Some managed to stagger home. Some never made it.

On 11th January, Iran managed to halt most Starlink internet communication and security forces started seizing CCTV footage of the protest, both to try and identify individuals, but also to ensure that such footage didn't wind up on foreign news channels. They also set up checkpoints and people moving through were asked to show photos and videos on their phones. If there was something they didn't like, that phone would be smashed to pieces and the owner might even find themselves in custody.

The country moved into full suppression mode as internet connectivity dropped to its lowest point. At the same time, it was reported that pro-government editors were active during the crackdown on Wikipedia and similar platforms, deleting and sanitising content related to the Islamic Republic's human rights record. According to the Free Press, this process had been going on for the best part of a year.

The Iranian government announced a nationwide curfew that they hoped would, once and for all, stamp out dissent. At this point, tens of thousands had been detained, so when Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami called for the execution of detained protesters during his Friday prayer, it looked like the death toll could climb significantly. On 21st January, the government announced that the protest had been fully suppressed.

<!-- aeo:section end="chaos-confusion" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="the-scale-of-the-atrocities" -->
## The Scale of the Atrocities

While further small-scale protests did emerge, they remained constrained compared to what came before. Student protests began on 21st February, coinciding with the new school semester and a 40-day memorial of those killed in the previous round of protests, but the edge had been dulled.

Yet many still didn't have a complete narrative of what had occurred, and to be honest, even now we don't. There were still plenty of holes, but gradually the fragments began to emerge.

One point that many found horrifying and difficult to understand was how Iranians could kill Iranians with such indiscrimination. It's easy to think of government crackdowns as some giant faceless overlord, but at the end of the day, a human had to point a weapon at another human and pull the trigger.

But in the weeks after the massacre, it became clear that, often, it wasn't Iranians doing the killing. Now we do need to say that these claims are not completely verified, but have been reported from multiple sources indicating that foreign Shia militias aligned with Tehran were deployed to assist in suppressing unrest.

These groups reportedly included elements of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and units such as Liwa Fatemiyoun and Liwa Zainabiyoun, composed of Afghan and Pakistani fighters. As early as 2nd January, Iraqi militias had begun recruiting personnel to support Iranian authorities.

These fighters then apparently crossed the border under the pretext of religious pilgrimage, travelling through key crossings before being assembled in Ahvaz and deployed to protest-hit areas. By mid-January, estimates suggested that several thousand militia members may have entered the country.

The methods used in the suppression quickly widened. This wasn't just handguns and sniper rifles, and there were various reports of machine guns being used to kill huge numbers, notably in the town of Fardis.

And it gets even more horrific. While details here are still vague and, again, not completely verified, there have been claims that security forces may have used chemical weapons at various points. Footage circulated showing security personnel wearing hazmat suits and protective masks and many have stated that gas had been used to not only disperse crowds, but also to corner them. Protesters allegedly experienced severe respiratory distress, burning sensations to the eyes and skin, vomiting blood, and sudden physical weakness. Some did not die immediately, but succumbed days later, suggesting possible delayed effects consistent with toxic exposure.

Then there were reports of detainees being injected with unknown substances while in custody and the subsequent mysterious deaths. Torture and sexual violence have also been common for those behind bars. This was the horror show that just kept going on and on.

The Iranian government handed out a flurry of death sentences immediately after the protest, with as many as 800 reported by foreign media and President Trump, yet Iran denied that figure. While many have not been officially carried out, an unknown number have unofficially been killed, either through lethal injection or other means that could be passed off as protest casualties or suicides.

As the end of February neared, a dark unease hung over Iran. What would come next? What can people really do after such a massacre?

<!-- aeo:section end="the-scale-of-the-atrocities" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="war" -->
## War

When Donald Trump threatened Iran with a "locked and loaded" military intervention if Iran killed protesters in early January, it was easy to dismiss it as yet more hot air and loose talk from the U.S. President.

But that was not the case. On 28th February, the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on targets across Iran and Operation Epic Fury, Operation Roaring Lion according to Israel, had begun. Within hours, Trump gave a short speech released on Truth Social where he stated the aims of the strike were regime change. It said: Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.

In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, but also at its Gulf neighbours that it deemed friendly to the United States. Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were all targeted.

The following day, the same pattern continued as Iran's military infrastructure was gradually flattened. Then, a vague announcement by U.S. officials, that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei might be dead. A day after the attacks commenced, it was confirmed inside Iran, an announcement that brought scenes of grief and jubilation.

As we write this, this conflict is still ongoing. If President Trump expected the Iranian people to rise up again and finally topple the regime that has killed thousands, it hasn't happened yet. Security forces remain a strong presence in towns and cities and dissent is quickly stamped out.

The Iranian people are fearful, but still hopeful. The massacres of early 2026 were on such a scale, that they have dealt a near knock-out blow to homegrown regime change for the time being. The U.S. and Israel are not about to invade Iran, but after the chaos of recent months, it's difficult to see what happens next. Will the protests bow to oppression, or is it just the start of an entirely new Iran?

<!-- aeo:section end="war" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="key-takeaways" -->
## Key Takeaways

- Protests in Iran began in December 2025 due to economic hardships and quickly escalated.
- The Iranian government's violent response resulted in thousands of deaths by January 2026.
- Historically, Iran has faced numerous uprisings met with brutal government suppression.
- The 2026 protests were the deadliest in modern Iranian history, with estimates exceeding 30,000 deaths.
- The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February 2026, aiming for regime change.

<!-- aeo:section end="key-takeaways" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="frequently-asked-questions" -->
## Frequently Asked Questions

### When did the protests in Iran begin in 2025?

The protests in Iran began on 28th December 2025 with shopkeepers closing their shops in the Alaeddin Shopping Centre in Tehran.

### What was the initial government response to the protests?

The government initially acted with relative constraint, using tear gas, causing deaths, and mass arrests, and shutting down the internet to try and stop the protests.

### When did the killings of protesters start?

The killings started a few days after the protests began, with police, armed forces, and militias shooting indiscriminately into crowds.

### How did the Iranian government control the narrative during the protests?

The Iranian government controlled the narrative by shutting down the internet, moving bodies to confuse estimates, and discouraging medical personnel from reporting accurate causes of death.

### What role did foreign militias play in the suppression of the protests?

Foreign Shia militias aligned with Tehran, including elements of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanese Hezbollah, and units composed of Afghan and Pakistani fighters, were reportedly deployed to assist in suppressing the unrest.

### What was the scale of the atrocities during the protests?

The scale of the atrocities was immense, with estimates suggesting over 30,000 deaths, the use of chemical weapons, and widespread torture and sexual violence against detainees.

### What was the international response to the killings?

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened severe consequences if the targeting of civilians continued, but external intervention was considered highly unlikely.

### What was the impact of the protests on the Iranian people?

The protests dealt a near knock-out blow to homegrown regime change, leaving the Iranian people fearful but still hopeful for the future.

### What was the outcome of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran?

The strikes aimed for regime change, but as of the time of the article, the conflict was still ongoing and the Iranian people were fearful but hopeful.

<!-- aeo:section end="frequently-asked-questions" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="sources" -->
## Sources

- [Original Into the Shadows video: When the Iranian Government Massacred Its Own People.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtiHBU3Giq8)
- [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Shadowy_figures_%282016_04_03_shadow_silhouettes_to_at-cc%29.jpg) by P. Horálek/ESO / openverse, by.

<!-- aeo:section end="sources" -->
<!-- aeo:section start="related-coverage" -->
## Related Coverage
<!-- aeo:section end="related-coverage" -->