More than 2,000 people have been killed during the violent crackdown by security forces on protests in Iran, a human rights group has said, as President Trump promised Iranians that help was on its way.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that it had so far confirmed the killing of 1,850 protesters, 135 people affiliated with the government and nine uninvolved civilians as well as nine children over the last 17 days despite an internet blackout.
An Iranian official also told Reuters that 2,000 people had been killed but that terrorists were to blame.
Trump said Iranian authorities would pay a big price for the killings and urged people to keep protesting.
He has been weighing military and other options in response to the crackdown, having already announced 25% tariffs on any country trading with Iran.
The protests, which have reportedly spread to 180 cities and towns in all 31 provinces, were sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency and soaring cost of living.
They quickly widened into demands for political change and became one of the most serious challenges to the clerical establishment since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The protests escalated significantly last Thursday and were met with deadly force by authorities, masked by a near total shutdown of the internet and communication services.
HRANA said on Tuesday afternoon that, as well as confirming the killing of at least 2,003 people during the unrest, it was also reviewing reports of another 779 deaths.
Another group, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), meanwhile said it had confirmed the killing of at least 734 protesters.
Its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, told AFP news agency that the figures were based on information received from fewer than half of the country's provinces and fewer than 10% of Iran's hospitals, adding: The real number of those killed is likely in the thousands.
Not long after HRANA released its latest death toll, President Trump wrote on Truth Social: Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.
He stated he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops. A meeting was expected at the White House to discuss options for Iran.
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Iran was ready for diplomacy but also for other options, including if the US wanted to test the military option which it had tested in the past.
On Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest in response to the killings. The UN human rights chief Volker Türk urged Iranian authorities to halt all forms of violence and repression against peaceful protesters immediately.
Reports also indicate that over 16,780 protesters have been arrested. Amidst the turmoil, a rising number of executions has taken place, including a 26-year-old man, whose family claims he was sentenced to death rapidly.
As eyewitness accounts describe hospitals overwhelmed with casualties, the full scale of the violence remains difficult to ascertain amidst the ongoing internet blackout and heavy security presence across the country.
