Iran Warns Against Potential US Involvement as Protest Death Toll Tops 500
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- Videos show protesters chanting, 'Death to the Dictator' Saturday in Iran
(00:58 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
At least 544 people have been killed as Iran enters a third week of nationwide anti-government protests, according to a US-based rights group. The country has been offline for more than 72 hours after authorities shut down internet access and telephone lines.
US President Donald Trump said Iran 'called to negotiate' and that his administration is weighing potential military options. Iran's parliamentary speaker warned that American military and commercial bases will be treated as targets for retaliation if the US intervenes militarily.
Demonstrations are being seen beyond Iran's borders. In Los Angeles, a person was detained after driving a truck through a crowd of protesters of anti-Iranian government protesters. In Tehran, the British ambassador was summoned after a protester in London tore down the Iranian embassy's flag.
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The death toll in Iran has risen, according to a US-based rights group that has been tracking casualty numbers amid widespread anti-regime protests in the country.
At least 544 people have been killed during the demonstrations over the past 15 days, including eight children, according to an update from the Human Rights Activist New Agency (HRANA), the news service of the organization Human Rights Activists in Iran.
More than 10,681 individuals have also been transferred to prisons following arrest, the agency reported.
CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA's casualty numbers. Iran has been offline for more than 72 hours after authorities shut down internet access and telephone lines.
As protests enter their third week and bring Iran to the precipice of change, the longstanding regime's grasp on power appears more tenuous than ever as the swelling opposition movement demands substantive change.
The protests initially centered on economic grievances but have since evolved into a broader movement against the regime that has controlled Iran for decades.
Over the years, Iran has seen waves of protests resulting in little societal or political change. But now the anger is mounting as defiant Iranians grow increasingly weary and impatient.
Since coming to power in 1989 – a decade after a huge revolution swept the authoritarian US-backed Shah of Iran from power and ushered in an Islamic Republic – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has navigated an array of political and security challenges.
Khamenei has maintained the backing of some loyalists and state institutions, but his repressive policies have been met with waning public support.
Frustration over Iran's struggling economy has festered. Iran continues to face heavy international sanctions, including the reactivation of so-called 'snapback' sanctions related to its nuclear program. Researchers say the sanctions have also crippled Iran's middle class – the base of the country's reform movement.
At the same time, Iranian leadership is in a vulnerable state after several of its points of leverage were neutered. Israeli attacks weakened Iran's regional armed proxy groups, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, while US strikes dealt significant damage to the country's nuclear program. Iran also lost a critical ally when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted.
Read the full analysis here.
(https://cnn.com/2026/01/11/middleeast/iran-regime-clings-to-power-protests-hnk-latam-intl)
The official social media account of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has posted a cartoon to X depicting US President Donald Trump as a crumbling sarcophagus, with a message saying 'this one too will be overthrown.'
The image depicts the American leader as an ancient Egyptian-style stone sarcophagus inside a burial tomb that's adorned with hieroglyphics. The US flag and Great Seal of the United States are drawn as carvings on the coffin, which is cracking and crumbling. The accompanying text on the cartoon reads: 'Like Pharaoh.'
A message posted alongside the cartoon refers to historical and legendary kings such as the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt and Nimrod, a biblical figure of the book of Genesis, warning that they were 'overthrown when they were at the height of their pride.' It also references Reza Khan and Mohammad Reza, the first and second Iranian shahs of the Pahlavi dynasty.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran, which is currently contending with deadly protests and tension with the US, called him on Saturday to negotiate.
'They called yesterday,' Trump said. 'Iran called to negotiate.'
Trump's comments come days after the president told reporters that if Tehran engaged in deadly violence against protestors, the US would 'get involved.'
CNN reported Sunday that Trump is considering various intervention options, from military strikes to new sanctions against regime figures, or sectors of Iran's economy like energy or banking.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that his administration is monitoring the deadly protests in Iran and is continuing to weigh potential military options.
'There seem to be some people killed that aren't supposed to be killed. These are violent, if you call them leaders. I don't know if their leaders are just they rule through violence, but we're looking at it very seriously,' Trump told reporters.
'The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options. We'll make it determination.'
CNN previously reported Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran and was briefed in recent days on different plans for intervention.
Trump also said that his administration may speak to Elon Musk about getting Iranians access to Starlink, the tech billionaire's satellite internet service.
When asked how the United States would react if Iran were to strike American military bases, Trump said, 'We will hit them at levels that they've never been hit before.'
CNN reported earlier Sunday that there are concerns inside the administration that military strikes could backfire and undermine the protests. The concerns, the officials said, are that strikes could have the unintended effect of rallying the Iranian people to support the government, or lead Iran to retaliate with military force of its own.
Videos from social media geolocated by CNN show people at Tehran province's Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center as they try to identify their loved ones among dozens of bodies.
Editor’s note: This post contains disturbing images. Viewer discretion is advised.
- People try to identify their loved ones among dozens of bodies in Tehran province
(00:49 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
- Families chant anti-government slogans at funerals for protesters in Tehran
(00:43 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
- Protesters in northern Iran chanting 'Long live the Shah.'
(00:14 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
- Protesters on the streets of Tehran's Punak neighborhood
(00:12 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
- State media shows funerals across Iran for members of Iranian security forces killed in recent days
(01:07 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
- U-Haul drives through crowd of anti-regime protesters in LA
(00:33 • Source: CNN (https://www.cnn.com/)
A man was struck by the U-Haul and was treated at the scene for injuries that were described by police as not significant.
The FBI was at the scene of the crash and will work with the LAPD to determine a motive behind the incident, said Bill Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California.
The Iranian government has declared three days of mourning to honor those killed in what officials describe as recent acts of violence against the nation.
The announcement, made by the Cabinet on Sunday, pays tribute to what it called the 'martyrs of the National Resistance Movement of Iranians against America and the Zionist regime,' according to Iran's state-run television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on Sunday after a flag at its embassy in London was torn down by a protester, according to Iran's state-run television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
The move also comes after British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the killing of Iranian protesters.
Iran's Interior Minister Eskander Momeni told state television on Saturday that 'to an extent,' security personnel 'exercise maximum restraint' to avoid harm to fellow citizens.
Iran has called for a nationwide march on Monday in support of the regime and in opposition to what authorities described as recent acts of desecration and insults against Islamic symbols, including the Quran, by protesters.
The Islamic Propagation Coordination Council (IPCC) on Sunday urged the public to attend the march, scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. local time (5:30 a.m. ET), and encouraged participants to bring copies of the Quran, according to Iran's state-run television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
'This move is in response to recent insults to the Quran and Islamic sanctities and desecration by rioters and terrorists,' IRIB said.
The IPCC is one of the most powerful and well-funded state institutions in Iran, responsible for overseeing all published content within the country and ensuring it aligns with state policies.
On Friday, footage from social media verified by Reuters showed Al-Rasool Mosque in Tehran on fire.
IRIB also released a video that it allegedly shows several protesters inside a mosque vandalizing property before one individual disables the security camera in the building. IRIB did not name the mosque or its location. CNN cannot independently verify the content of the video.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets in a number of European capital cities this weekend in solidarity with the protesters in Iran.
In London, protesters gathered near Downing Street, the official residence of Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In Paris, people marched down a street chanting, playing music and waving Iran's pre-revolution flag, which features a lion symbol. Some were also waving Israeli flags.
People also took to the streets in Berlin in solidarity with those protesting in Iran. One person was seen holding a placard reading 'Women Life Freedom,' a reference to the 2022 protest movement, whilst another held a banner that said 'stop execution.'
Pope Leo has said today that he prays for 'dialogue and peace' in Iran, addressing crowds in the Vatican following his Angelus prayer.
Other international figures have also spoken out about Iran today, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb urging Iranian authorities to 'refrain from using violence against their own people and respect freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.'
'Aggression must stop,' he posted on X. 'We call for the release of all unjustly detained demonstrators.'
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she is 'deeply concerned' by what is going on in Iran, including the 'reports of the repression of peaceful protesters.'
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also posted to X, saying that his country 'sees the people of Iran and frankly we wish them much success. We support their struggle for freedom. We think they deserve freedom. We think they deserve a better future.' He added that, though Israel doesn't have 'any hostility with the people of Iran,' it has a 'huge problem' with the Iranian regime.
US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran following deadly protests in the country, two US officials have told CNN, as he considers following through on his recent threats to strike the country should they use lethal force against the Iranian people.
Trump was briefed in recent days on different plans for intervention, the officials told CNN, as violence in the country has led to dozens of deaths and arrests.
Some of the discussions have also included options that do not involve direct US military force, one of the officials said.
The president has not yet made a final decision on intervention, the officials said, but he is seriously considering action as the death toll in Iran continues to rise.
US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reports that 116 people have been killed since protests erupted across all 31 of Iran’s provinces two weeks ago. It remains unclear whether HRANA’s tally fully captures the scale of casualties, given the authorities’ nationwide shutdown of internet access and telephone lines.
