What we covered
• 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. A communications blackout imposed by authorities has now lasted over 84 hours.
• US President Donald Trump said Iran “called to negotiate,” as his administration weighs potential military options for intervention. 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. In Tehran, the British ambassador was summoned after a protester in London tore down the Iranian embassy’s flag.
Our live coverage has moved here.
Iran faces another day without internet access
Iran’s internet blackout has been ongoing for at least 84 hours, cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks said Monday.
Previously, the group had said connectivity to the outside world was at 1% of ordinary levels.
The authorities’ nationwide shutdown of internet access and telephone lines has made it difficult to understand the full extent of what is unfolding on the ground, including the full scale of casualties from the mass anti-government protests.
What is the Basij? Iran’s feared paramilitary group cracking down on protesters
Members of Iran’s parliament have appealed to the Minister of Intelligence to resume Basij patrols as security forces launch a violent crackdown on the anti-government protests sweeping the country.
More than 544 people have been killed over the past 15 days during anti-government demonstrations, including eight children, according to the Human Rights Activist New Agency (HRANA).
But what is the Basij, the shadowy Iranian paramilitary force that has long been used by the state to quell protests and popular unrest?
Who are the Basij? Meaning “mobilization” in Farsi, the Basij is a volunteer paramilitary group that is an auxiliary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the powerful and elite wing of the Iranian military. It was formed shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who famously declared that Iran could never be destroyed with a 20-million-man militia.
Who makes up its ranks? The nationwide militia is known to recruit members from rural and urban areas and to organize mainly at mosques around Tehran and other major cities, and its members often come from poorer, more conservative, backgrounds. The group is under the command of the IRGC, which is under the direct control of Iran’s supreme leader.
What does it do? The Basij are an internal security force formed to prop up Iran’s theocracy and state ideology, and enforce Islamic morality among the public. The group has taken on a leading role in violently quashing waves dissent for decades.
A growing role: They were famed for conducting “human wave” attacks during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war that reportedly cleared out minefields for the professional military. But the Basij has had a growing role since 2003, when it was beefed up as a first line of defense amid suspicions of a possible US-led invasion, experts said. The militia have since emerged during the initial moments of uprisings and unrest.
US sanctions: The Basij force and certain commanders have been sanctioned multiple times by the US government, including for human rights violations, suppressing student protests and allegedly using child soldiers.
Suppressing unrest: Basij enforcers have played a crucial role each time popular protest sweeps Iran. In 2009, the Basij noticeably took the lead in crowd control when tens of thousands of Iranian demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran to protest the presidential election, and in 2022 during the suppression of mass protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody of the religious police.
Current protests: The Basij are among the security forces deployed to crack down on the protests sweeping Iran for the past 15 days. Iranian state media has reported casualties within its security forces, including the Basij. The Basij may also be involved in monitoring online activity during the protests. In a post on Telegram Sunday, the Basij News Agency, the official news channel of the Basij forces, reported that a bloggers website and social channels had been shut down, saying “the arrest of bloggers supporting riot continues.”
Death toll in Iran climbs to at least 544, US-based activist group says
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 organisation Human Rights Activists in Iran.
HRANA provided the following breakdown of the death toll:
- 483 protesters have been killed.
- Eight children (under 18) are recorded among the dead (not included in the above figures).
- Five non-protesting civilian citizens have been killed.
- 47 members of military/law enforcement forces have been killed.
- One government-affiliated non-civilian (a prosecutor) has been killed.
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.
This post has been updated with a breakdown of the figures.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard condemns US support for protests
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite wing of the Iranian military that has been used to suppress mass protests in the past, has condemned what it said was the intervention of the United States in Iran’s internal affairs.
The IRGC was referring to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in the summer of 2025, which ultimately drew in the United States and ended with serious damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared victory in the conflict despite Israel’s killing of senior Iranian leaders and the strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.
The IRGC claimed the protests were being supported by the US and Israel, and said Trump “must await a crushing response from the resistant Iranian nation,” Press TV reported the IRGC as saying.
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 Activists News Agency (HRANA).
CNN is unable to independently verify HRANA’s or Iran state media’s casualty numbers.
Analysis: Iranian regime's grasp on power appears more tenuous than ever
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.
Iran’s Supreme Leader posts cartoon depicting Trump as a crumbling sarcophagus
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.
Trump says "Iran called to negotiate"
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.
Trump says administration is looking at different options to respond to Iran protests
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 Iran show anguished relatives of dead, funerals and protests
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.
Videos from pro-reform activist outlet IranWire purportedly shows bodies of protesters being brought to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran for burial on Sunday. Families can be heard clapping and chanting slogans such as “Death to Khamenei” and “I will kill the one who killed my brother.” Date could not be independently verified.
Watch here:
Video from IranWire shows protesters on the streets of the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran as they chant “Long live the Shah.” According to IranWire, the video was first released Sunday, but date could not be independently verified.
Watch here:
Another video from IranWire purportedly shows protesters on the streets of Tehran’s Punak neighborhood on Sunday. Date could not be independently verified.
Watch here:
Video by IranWire purports to show protesters on the streets of the western Iranian city of Abdanan on Sunday after what IranWire says was a funeral for one of the killed protesters. Date could not be independently verified.
Iranian state media, Press TV, also shared video on Sunday of what it described as nationwide funerals for members of the country’s security forces killed in “riots.”
Watch here:
Driver detained after U-Haul drives through crowd of anti-Iranian government protesters in Los Angeles
The driver of a moving truck that drove through a crowd of anti-Iranian government protesters during a large demonstration in Los Angeles’ Westwood neighborhood has been detained, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Two people were evaluated at the scene and declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. One person was struck by the U-Haul, police said, adding the injuries not significant.
“Resources are delayed making patient contact due to the size of the crowd,” the LAFD initially said, but later indicated the crowd was dispersing.
A man can be seen on top of the U-Haul as it drives through the crowd, and a sign on the side of the truck reads “No Shah, No Regime. USA: Don’t repeat 1953. No Mullah.”
Police are investigating what led to the crash, authorities said without elaborating. CNN has reached out to the police for details.
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 U-Haul is later seen surrounded by LAPD vehicles and cordoned off by police tape, aerial video from CNN affiliate KABC shows.
Several hundred protesters can be seen waving Iranian flags and marching in the streets, the aerial video shows.
The protest surrounded the Federal Building in Westwood, near Persian Square.
CNN’s Hanna Park contributed to this report.
This post has been updated with additional details.
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.
