Death toll from Iran unrest nears 2,600, rights group reports
The death toll from weeks of anti government unrest in Iran has climbed to almost 2,600 people, according to a US based human rights group. HRANA said it has so far verified the deaths of 2,403 protesters and 147 members of the security forces and other government affiliated individuals. An Iranian official separately told Reuters that about 2,000 people had been killed, marking the first time a figure in that range has been acknowledged by someone inside the system. The authorities have accused the United States and Israel of fomenting the unrest and say “terrorists” have attacked security forces, mosques and public property. The protests began on December 28 over soaring inflation but have since turned into one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have spread nationwide, with funeral marches, strikes and […]