Death toll in crackdown on protests in Iran spikes to at least 538, activists say

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The decease toll successful the crackdown connected nationwide protests successful Iran spiked Sunday to astatine slightest 538 people, activists said.

Over 10,600 radical person been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Of those killed, 490 are protesters and 48 are members of the information forces, it said, informing the toll is apt to spell up.

With the net down successful Iran and telephone lines chopped off, gauging the demonstrations from overseas has grown much difficult.

The activistic group, which relies connected activists successful Iran crosschecking information, has offered close tolls successful erstwhile rounds of unrest successful the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian authorities has not offered immoderate wide casualty figures for the demonstrations. The Associated Press has been incapable to independently measure the toll, fixed that net and planetary telephone calls are present being blocked successful Iran.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s parliament talker warned Sunday that the U.S. subject and Israel would beryllium “legitimate targets” if the U.S. strikes the Islamic Republic implicit the ongoing protests roiling the country, arsenic threatened by President Donald Trump.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the menace aft nationwide protests challenging Iran’s theocracy saw protesters flood the streets successful the country’s superior and its second-largest metropolis into Sunday morning, crossing the two-week mark. At slightest 203 radical person died successful unit surrounding the demonstrations, activists said, with fears the decease toll is acold higher.

With the net down successful Iran and telephone lines chopped off, gauging the demonstrations from overseas has grown much difficult.

Those overseas fearfulness the accusation blackout is emboldening hard-liners wrong Iran's information services to motorboat a bloody crackdown.

Trump offered enactment for the protesters, saying connected societal media that “Iran is looking astatine FREEDOM, possibly similar ne'er before. The USA stands acceptable to help!!!” The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. officials, said connected Saturday nighttime that Trump had been fixed subject options for a onslaught connected Iran, but hadn’t made a last decision.

Parliament rallies

Iranian authorities tv broadcast the parliament league live. Qalibaf, a hard-liner who has tally for the presidency successful the past, gave a code applauding constabulary and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, peculiarly its all-volunteer Basij, for having “stood firm” during the protests.

He went connected to straight endanger Israel, “the occupied territory” arsenic helium referred to it, and the U.S. military, perchance with a preemptive strike.

“In the lawsuit of an onslaught connected Iran, some the occupied territory and each American subject centers, bases and ships successful the portion volition beryllium our morganatic targets,” Qalibaf said. “We bash not see ourselves constricted to reacting aft the enactment and volition enactment based connected immoderate nonsubjective signs of a threat.”

Lawmakers rushed the dais successful the Iranian parliament, shouting: “Death to America!”

It remains unclear conscionable however superior Iran is astir launching a strike, peculiarly aft its aerial defenses were destroyed during the 12-day warfare successful June with Israel. Any determination to spell to warfare would remainder with Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. subject has said successful the Mideast it is “postured with forces that span the afloat scope of combat capableness to support our forces, our partners and allies and U.S. interests.” Iran targeted U.S. forces astatine Al Udeid Air Base successful Qatar backmost successful June, portion the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet is stationed successful the land kingdom of Bahrain.

Israel, meanwhile, is “watching closely” the concern betwixt the U.S. and Iran, said an Israeli official, who spoke connected information of anonymity owed to not being authorized to talk to journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight connected topics including Iran, the authoritative added.

“The radical of Israel, the full world, are successful awe of the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran,” said Netanyahu, a longtime Iran hawk.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies connected activists successful Iran cross-checking information, offered the caller decease toll of 203 connected Sunday, a ample jump. Of those killed, 162 are protesters and 41 are members of the information forces, it said. The bureau besides acknowledged receiving claims of acold much deaths that it was inactive assessing arsenic implicit 3,280 others person been arrested.

The radical has offered close tolls successful erstwhile rounds of unrest successful the Islamic Republic. The Iranian authorities has not offered immoderate wide casualty figures for the demonstrations.

The Associated Press has been incapable to independently measure the toll, arsenic communications with Iran person been cut.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV mentioned Iran arsenic a spot "where ongoing tensions proceed to assertion galore lives."

“I anticipation and commune that dialog and bid whitethorn beryllium patiently nurtured successful pursuit of the communal bully of the full of society,” helium said.

Protests successful Tehran and Mashhad

Online videos sent retired of Iran, apt utilizing Starlink outer transmitters, purportedly showed demonstrators gathering successful bluish Tehran's Punak neighborhood. There, it appeared authorities unopen disconnected streets, with protesters waving their lit mobile phones. Others banged metallic portion fireworks went off.

“The signifier of protests successful the superior has mostly taken the signifier of scattered, short-lived, and fluid gatherings, an attack shaped successful effect to the dense beingness of information forces and accrued tract pressure,” the Human Rights Activists News Agency said. “Reports were received of surveillance drones flying overhead and movements by information forces astir protestation locations, indicating ongoing monitoring and information control.”

In Mashhad, Iran's second-largest metropolis immoderate 725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Tehran, footage purported to amusement protesters confronting information forces. Protests besides appeared to hap successful Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Iranian authorities tv connected Sunday greeting had their correspondents look connected the streets successful respective cities to amusement calm areas with a day stamp shown connected screen. Tehran and Mashhad were not included.

Government rhetoric besides ratcheted up Sunday. Ali Larijani, a apical information official, accused immoderate demonstrators of “killing radical oregon burning immoderate people, which is precise akin to what ISIS does,” referring to the Islamic State radical by an acronym.

State TV aired funerals of slain information unit members portion reporting different six had been killed successful Kermanshah. In Fars province, unit killed 13 people, and 7 information forces were killed successful North Khorasan province, it added. It besides showed a pickup motortruck afloat of bodies successful assemblage bags and aboriginal a morgue.

Even Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had been trying to easiness choler earlier the demonstrations exploded successful caller days, offered a hardening code successful an interrogation aired Sunday.

“People person concerns, we should beryllium with them and if it is our duty, we should resoluteness their concerns,” Pezeshkian said. “But the higher work is not to let a radical of rioters to travel and destruct the full society.”

More demonstrations planned Sunday

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi asked successful his latest connection for demonstrators to instrumentality to the streets Sunday.

Demonstrators person shouted successful enactment of the shah successful immoderate protests, but it isn’t wide whether that’s enactment for Pahlavi himself oregon a tendency to instrumentality to a clip earlier the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Pahlavi’s enactment of and from Israel has drawn disapproval successful the past, peculiarly aft the 12-day war.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 implicit the illness of the Iranian rial currency, which trades astatine implicit 1.4 cardinal to $1, arsenic the country’s system is squeezed by planetary sanctions successful portion levied implicit its atomic program. The protests intensified and grew into calls straight challenging Iran’s theocracy.

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Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

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