Iran Eases Communications Restrictions as Protest Death Toll Mounts

Human rights organizations say hundreds of people have died in the demonstrations that have rocked the Islamic Republic since December.

Iranians block a street in Tehran during ongoing nationwide mass protests on Jan. 9, 2026. East Images/AFP via Getty Images

The Iranian regime eased some restrictions on communications on Jan. 13 as the death toll of ongoing protests soared into the hundreds.

Tehran allowed Iranians to make calls abroad but not receive them, while maintaining restrictions on texting and internet use that have been in place for days, according to people in Tehran who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The move from the regime came as a rise in the number of dead was reported.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), based in the United States, estimated 646 people had died as of Jan. 12. However, the actual death toll is feared to be much higher.

Among the figures reported by HRANA, 505 were protesters, nine of whom have been identified as under 18; 133 members of military and law enforcement agencies; one nonmilitary government affiliate, and seven nonprotesting civilians.

The Epoch Times has not been able to independently verify these figures.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a Jan. 12 statement that he was horrified by the violence from Iran’s security forces against peaceful protesters.

“The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” Türk said.

Alluding to previous protests in the Islamic Republic in 2022, Türk said demonstrators have sought fundamental change to the way the country is run, “and once again, the authorities’ reaction is to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change.”

He said the cycle of violence cannot continue.

This frame grab from a video taken by an individual not employed by The Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran shows people blocking an intersection during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2026. UGC via AP

When asked to comment on the scale of the killings, U.N. rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence, who delivered Turk’s statement to reporters, said, “The number that we’re hearing is hundreds,” citing U.N. sources in Iran.

US Airstrikes On the Table: Leavitt

The White House said on Jan. 12 that the United States could launch airstrikes on Iran.

“One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Jan. 12, responding to a question about strikes on Iran. “And airstrikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens during a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 8, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

These statements were followed by a Jan. 13 post from the president on Truth Social, announcing that “help is on its way” for protesters in Iran.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price,” Trump wrote. “I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS.”

The European Parliament, the legislative branch of the European Union, barred Iranian officials from entering its premises on Jan. 12.

“It cannot be business as usual,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said in a post on X. “As the brave people of Iran continue to stand up for their rights and their liberty, today I have taken the decision to ban all diplomatic staff and any other representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from all European Parliament premises.”

The German, French, Dutch and Finnish governments have also summoned Iranian ambassadors to their countries to express their displeasure at the violence and the communications restrictions.

New EU Sanctions

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU would swiftly propose new sanctions on those responsible for the repression in Iran.

The UK also confirmed that it was working on a fresh package of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in light of the clampdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed to respond in kind to any restrictions placed on it by the EU.

“Iran does not seek enmity with the EU, but will reciprocate any restriction,” he said in a Jan. 13 post on X.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a press conference in Yerevan, Armenia, on March 25, 2025. Karen Minasyan/AFP

Araghchi has blamed the United States for escalating the protests, saying they were made “violent, bloody to give an excuse” for Trump to intervene. He said the protests were “infiltrated by terrorist operatives and terrorist groups.”

“We have recorded audio messages received by those terrorist operatives, giving them orders to fire on protesters, to fire on the security and police personnel, to fire on peaceful civilians, to fire on anyone coming their way, women, men, young or old,” Araghchi said.

“Their goal is to kill the highest possible number. As a result, many were killed in these violent demonstrations. And a living proof of this is that many of those killed received gunshots from behind. ... They cut the throats of some security personnel. They burned others alive.

“These are ISIS practices. At the same time, they started to wreak destruction in public and private property, targeting governmental institutions, police stations, even residential homes and commercial shops.”

Araghchi made the remarks during a Jan. 11 meeting with foreign diplomats, broadcast by Al-Jazeera, in which he claimed that the situation “has come under total control” but gave no evidence.

“The security personnel were deployed, stood up, and confronted the terrorist operatives infiltrating the demonstrations,” he said.

Aldgra Fredly, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.