Iran's streets run red: Govt admits 2,000 killed in 14 days amidst protests

Tehran (The Uttam Hindu): Iran is on fire. The protests that have been going on for the past two weeks now appear to be turning into a "genocide." The Iranian government has finally acknowledged the horrific truth that the world feared. An Iranian official on Tuesday officially acknowledged that 2,000 people have died so far in the nationwide violence. This is the first time Iran's fundamentalist government has publicly acknowledged such a large death toll.

Government's clarification: 'These are not protesters, they are terrorists'

An Iranian official told Reuters that so-called "terrorists" were responsible for the bodies littering the streets. The government argued that the dead included not just civilians or protesters, but also security personnel. However, the official did not specify how many of the dead were unarmed protesters and how many were uniformed personnel. The government says that those it considers "terrorists" have now taken over the protests.

The biggest challenge to power since 1979

These protests, sparked by poor economic conditions, have now become the most significant threat to the government in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The government is employing a double standard—on the one hand, justifying public anger over economic issues, while on the other, resorting to firing. To conceal its failures, Iran has again accused the United States and Israel of inciting violence.

Internet shutdown, roads blackout

Human rights organizations had already predicted thousands of arrests and hundreds of deaths, but the official figure (2,000 deaths) is far more alarming. The government has shut down the internet to suppress the truth, preventing accurate information from escaping. However, videos circulating on social media show gunfire, burning buildings, and vehicles in the dead of night, revealing a civil war-like situation.