Where things stand
• Eyewitnesses have reported violence on the streets of Iran as the country enters its third week of anti-government protests which have spread across all of its 31 provinces. Details are emerging about some of the Iranians killed in a brutal crackdown by security services against the demonstrators.
• US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran following the deadly protests, two officials have told CNN. In a warning to the US, Iran’s parliamentary speaker said American military and commercial bases will be treated as targets for retaliation if Washington does intervene militarily.
• At least 496 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 people arrested over the past 15 days, according to a US-based human rights group. Iran has now been offline for more than 72 hours after the authorities shut down internet access and telephone lines amid the turmoil.
Families chant anti-government slogans at funerals for protesters in Tehran
Video footage has emerged from funerals for protesters killed in recent unrest in Iran, showing families and mourners openly chanting anti-government slogans during burial ceremonies in Tehran.
The video, obtained from pro-reform news outlet IranWire on Sunday, shows scenes at a cemetery in the capital where the bodies of protesters are brought for burial, accompanied by Islamic chants and rituals.
Relatives and mourners are seen clapping and chanting slogans, including “Death to Khamenei,” referring to Iran’s supreme leader, and “I will kill the one who killed my brother.” Other protesters are heard chanting “Death to the dictator,” as emotions run high among the mourners.
Women are seen wailing, and images of those killed are carried through the crowd.
At least 496 protesters killed in Iran, US-based rights group says
At least 496 protesters have been killed in Iran in more than two weeks of protests, a US-based rights group said on Sunday.
At least 10,681 people have been arrested according to a tally from Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s casualty numbers or arrest figures.
Iran declares three days of mourning to honor those killed in protests
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).
The Iranian people “closely experienced criminal terrorists launching ISIS-like urban violence” against civilians, Basij members, and security forces, resulting in many deaths, “a level of violence not seen until today,” IRIB added.
More than 100 members of Iran’s security forces have been killed since the start of protests, state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said Saturday.
At least 490 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 people arrested over the past 15 days, according to the US-based human rights group HRANA.
CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s or Iran state media’s casualty numbers.
Iran summons British ambassador after the country's flag was torn down at its embassy in London
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.
“The British Ambassador in Tehran was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran’s strong protest was conveyed to him,” IRIB said.
On Saturday, a protester was seen on video tearing down the Iranian flag from the country’s embassy in London and holding up Iran’s pre-revolution flag. In another video, the pre-revolution flag is seen hanging from the flagpole and a man standing in the balcony removing it as protesters chant insults at him.
In a post on X on Saturday, Cooper “urged the Iranian authorities to respect the fundamental rights of their people to take part in peaceful protests, without fear of violence or reprisal.”
Demonstrations have started in response to Iran’s internet blackout, including in London, where a protester removed the Iranian flag at the country’s embassy and displayed the pre-revolution flag.
Tehran resident says security forces fired pellets into her house
A resident in Tehran said security forces fired pellets into her house on Friday night.
The resident said she was outside her house when she saw security forces tase a girl in the neck. “Until the girl passed out, they did not let go,” she told CNN on the condition of anonymity out of security concerns.
The resident’s husband then pulled her into the house, after which security forces began firing pellets into her home. She told CNN that people she knew have been injured and killed.
Her sister’s father-in-law was hit by pellets 73 times. Her coworkers son, in his early 20s, was killed on Thursday, and the coworker was shot in the leg, the resident said.
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 calls for nationwide march Monday in support of the regime
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 can not independently verify the content of the video.
An Iranian forensic institute is full of bodies that loved ones are trying to identify
Videos out of Tehran province show people at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center as they try to identify their loved ones among dozens of bodies.
Verified videos obtained by CNN show a crowd of people gathered in front of a monitor that displays photos of deceased people as their loved ones try to identify them. Information seen on the screen suggests there could be up to 250 bodies.
Another clip from the forensic facility shows bodies in black body bags lined up on a walkway outside the building, with people gathered around. Screams of anguish could be heard, and people are seen crying beside the bodies. Some bodies are set down on an unpaved area by the building as families frantically search for the remains of their loved ones.
The monitor in the first video indicates the date as Friday. CNN cannot independently verify when the rest of the clips were taken.
Iranian state-affiliated media has acknowledged the situation at the facility but insists that the bodies seen are those of “ordinary people” who were dragged into the protests.
State-affiliated Tasnim News Agency posted a video with scenes from the forensics institute. The video shows the agency reporter’s conversations with grieving loved ones at the institute, who tell him their relatives were not protesters and were not inclined to protest.
One bereaved man sitting on the floor beside a body in a black bag tells the state media reporter in tears that his loved one was hit in the head with a rock thrown at them by an unknown person from the top of a building. The man says his loved one was pro-government.
The state media reporter then turns to the camera and says protesters who “aimed to clash” with security forces or “wanted to seize a [military] base or something and may have used arms” are also among the dead. “But most of these people were ordinary people and [their] families are ordinary families,” he says.
Some background: The Iranian government has called on citizens not to join “rioters and terrorists” participating in demonstrations across Iran. President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that there was a difference between people peacefully protesting and the “rioters” who set out to “disrupt the entire society.”
Iran enters fourth day of internet blackout
Iran’s internet blackout has entered its fourth day, according to cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks.
Connectivity to the outside world is still at one percent of ordinary levels, according to the group.
More than 10,000 people arrested during Iran protests, US-based rights group says
More than 10,000 people have been arrested over the past 15 days during anti-regime demonstrations in Iran, a US-based rights group said Sunday.
At least 10,675 people have been arrested, including 169 children, according to a detailed tally provided to CNN by Skylar Thompson, deputy director of Human Rights Activists in Iran (also known as HRA).
HRA’s news arm is called Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
At least 490 protesters have been killed over the same period, according to the group’s latest tally, updated Sunday. CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s casualty numbers or arrest figures.
Demonstrators rally in European capitals in solidarity with Iranian protesters
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.
Some were waving pre-revolution Iranian flags, while others were waving flags bearing the logo of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, an Albania-based Iranian dissident group that was removed from the US foreign terrorist organization list in 2012.
Many people were holding signs reading “No to shahs (kings), no to mullahs (clerics).” Others held up placards with photographs of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah.
Another protester, who gave the name of Azadeh, told Reuters that she believes “democratic change needs to come from within inside Iran.”
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.”
Protester death toll in Iran climbs to at least 420, US-based HRANA says
We’ve just received another update from the US-based rights group that has been tracking casualty numbers in Iran amid widespread anti-regime protests in the country.
At least 420 protesters have been killed during the demonstrations over the past 15 days, including eight children, according to a detailed tally provided to CNN by Skylar Thompson, deputy director of Human Rights Activists in Iran (also known as HRA).
HRA’s news arm is called Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
This is a dramatic increase on the previous toll of 162 provided earlier today. CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s casualty numbers.
Pope prays for "dialogue and peace" in Iran after Angelus prayer
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 “see(s) 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.
Trump briefed on US plans for military intervention in Iran amid protests
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.
Iranian attorney general says legal action against protesters will be conducted "without mercy"
Iran’s Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad said yesterday that legal proceedings against protesters will be carried out “without leniency, mercy or appeasement,” according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.
The attorney general said that “all criminals are enemies in this matter.”
Remember: Tehran’s prosecutor said Friday that acts of vandalism targeting public property will be considered “moharebeh,” translated as “waging war against God,” according to Tasnim.
The punishment for moharebeh includes execution.
Iranian protesters describe violent clampdown by authorities in Tehran
Several Iranians who protested in Tehran over the past few days have spoken to CNN about what they have witnessed, describing enormous crowds and feelings of hope, as well as brutal violence and scores of dead bodies.
A woman in her mid-60s and a 70-year-old man described seeing people of all ages out in the streets of the Iranian capital on Thursday and Friday.
On Friday night, however, security forces brandishing military rifles killed “many people,” they said.
Other demonstrators in a different neighborhood of Tehran told CNN that they helped a man in his mid-60s who had been severely injured in the crackdown. He had around 40 pellets lodged in his legs and had a broken arm, they said.
They tried to get the man medical help at several different hospitals but said that the situation was “completely chaotic.” One woman described seeing “bodies piled up on each other” in the hospital.
Others told CNN that the number of people out on the streets was incomparable to anything they had ever experienced before, describing the scenes as “unbelievably beautiful and hopeful.”
A televised speech by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Friday night changed this atmosphere. Shortly afterward, the crackdown turned incredibly violent, the protesters said.
At least 162 protesters killed in Iran over past two weeks, US-based rights group says
At least 162 protesters have been killed over the past 15 days during anti-government demonstrations in Iran, a US-based rights group has said.
As of Sunday, at least 203 have died in the protests in total, including 41 security personnel, according to a detailed tally provided to CNN by Skylar Thompson, deputy director of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
At least eight of the protesters killed were under 18, HRANA said. The group also reported that at least 3,285 people had been arrested.
It remains unclear whether HRANA’s tally fully captures the scale of casualties, given the authorities’ nationwide shutdown of internet access and telephone lines.
CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s casualty numbers.
"Never, ever seen such a thing." Iran's internet shutdown is unprecedented in its reach, expert says
The internet blackout in Iran is unprecedented in its reach and has affected “every single channel of communication,” according to a cybersecurity expert.
Amir Rashidi, director of cybersecurity and digital rights at Iran-focused human rights organization Miaan Group, told CNN Sunday he had “never, ever seen such a thing.”
While authorities in Iran have imposed internet shutdowns in the past, the most recent blackout has some key differences, Rashidi said.
Meanwhile, Rashidi said the ongoing blackout has shut down Iran’s domestic internet network, as well as emails, some websites and other lines of communication.
Even media outlets affiliated with the Iranian state and security apparatus appear to have been hit by the shutdown, with significantly fewer frequent updates than usual since the blackout began, if any.
Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at network intelligence platform Kentik, which studies internet disruptions, agreed that the ongoing shutdown feels different to previous years.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem contributed to this report.
Who is Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s ousted shah?
We’ve reported today on remarks made by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He said US President Donald Trump is “ready to help” protesters in Iran in the face of a brutal government crackdown.
Among the slogans chanted by demonstrators in the last two weeks, many have been calling for the return of the country’s monarchy.
“This is the last battle. Pahlavi will return,” demonstrators were seen shouting in video reviewed by CNN. “Javid Shah (long live the king)!” they cried. “Reza Shah, God bless your soul!”
Pahlavi is the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, the Persian word for king.
Based in the US, he has sought to position himself as a de facto leader, declaring support for the protests and issuing direct calls for coordinated nationwide action.
Pahlavi’s father Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ousted during Iran’s 1979 revolution. Pahlavi was aged 16 at the time.
In the years since, support for the deposed monarchy became taboo in Iran. Analysts say that it is unclear what might be driving the renewed excitement for the royal family in Iran.
Arash Azizi, an academic and author of the book “What Iranians Want,” told CNN that, while Pahlavi “has turned himself into a frontrunner in Iranian opposition politics,” he is also a “divisive figure and not a unifying one.”
The rallying around Pahlavi is the surest sign, analysts say, that Iran’s Islamic Republic appears to have hit a dead-end.
“Iranians aren’t opting for (Pahlavi) because he is present in the community but because they are despondent,” said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Watch more about Pahlavi below and read about him in our full profile here.
Nearly 50 years after Iran’s revolution, the son of the ousted Shah of Iran is drawing renewed attention as protests spread. CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh explains the significance.
Here's what happened during Iran's 2009 Green Movement
Several Iranian protesters spoken to by CNN in recent days have compared the country’s current demonstrations to the 2009 Green Movement.
The movement, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), saw “millions of Iranians take to the streets demanding democracy and more.”
People were protesting against the country’s 2009 presidential election, after accusations of widespread fraud. One of the movement’s key mottos was “Where is my vote?”
The demonstrations went on for months. In a response similar to that being seen in Iran right now, the internet was blocked, according to eyewitnesses CNN spoke to at the time, with authorities clamping down on dissent with violence and arrests.
According to CNN reporting at the time, a number of deaths and serious injuries were reported as a result of “brutality from security forces.”
Mehdi Karrubi, who was a candidate in Iran’s 2009 elections and one of the leaders of the Green Movement, told CNN in 2010 that “the elections started with excitement and joy, and most people came forward because they wanted change.”
Eventually, after many months, people stopped protesting “because of the brutal repression in the streets, the huge number of unjust arrests and inhumane behavior in prisons,” Karrubi told CNN in 2010.
Israeli military says it is “monitoring developments” in Iran, will be ready to “respond with power” if needed
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday it is “monitoring developments” in Iran as the country enters its third week of anti-government protests.
“We will be equipped to respond with power if need be. The IDF will continue to operate to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene a limited security consultation Sunday evening, with developments in Iran and Lebanon high on the agenda, according to an Israeli source.
Israel supports the Iranian protesters’ “struggle for freedom” and strongly condemns the “mass slaughter of innocent civilians,” Netanyahu said Sunday at the opening of a cabinet meeting.
