Tehran, Iran, 13 January (H.S.):

A Norway-based rights group, Iran Human Rights (IHR), reported at least 648 deaths—including nine minors—during widespread protests rocking Iran since Thursday, with thousands injured and an estimated 10,000 arrests amid a government-orchestrated internet blackout exceeding three-and-a-half days.

The blackout, flagged by monitor NetBlocks as a deliberate veil over the bloodshed, has crippled independent verification, though IHR warns the true toll could surpass 6,000 based on unconfirmed accounts. Initially ignited by economic hardships over two weeks ago, the unrest has evolved into the most formidable challenge to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

Escalating Violence and State Response

Video footage geolocated by AFP captured dozens of bodies outside a Tehran morgue south of the capital, with anguished relatives scouring for kin amid the chaos. In a bid to reclaim narrative control, authorities mobilized mass pro-regime rallies on Monday, filling Tehran's Enghelab Square with flag-waving crowds where parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf decried a four-front war—encompassing economic sabotage, psychological operations, military clashes with the US and Israel, and terrorism via the protests.

Flanked by anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans, Ghalibaf vowed the military would deliver an unforgettable lesson to President Donald Trump if attacked, while state media broadcast funerals for slain security personnel as national mourning rituals.

Diplomatic Posturing Amid Isolation

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted Iran seeks no war but stands fully prepared, signaling openness to fair negotiations with mutual respect via channels to Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, despite severed ties; Oman's foreign minister met Araghchi Saturday as a potential mediator.

Tehran summoned envoys from France, Germany, Italy, and the UK, demanding retraction of pro-protester statements, as the EU weighs fresh sanctions and the European Parliament bars Iranian diplomats.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the indiscriminate state violence targeting women and men demanding rights, while Russia decried foreign meddling.

Opposition Calls and Global Echoes

IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam implored the international community to shield civilians from mass killing by the regime. Reza Pahlavi, son of the ousted shah, urged security forces and officials via social media to defect, framing allegiance to the people over complicity with murderers.

Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian claimed diminishing protests and restored calm with fluid traffic, yet rights alarms persist amid Starlink circumvention reports and Trump's assertions of Iranian outreach post-threats. The standoff tests the theocracy's grip as economic woes fuel demands for change.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar