Iran to UN: US and Israel responsible for civilian deaths. Up to 20,000 casualties possible

Donald Trump's ultimate goal in Iran is 'to win'. "I like to win," the US president said in response to a question from Cbs news. When asked what he meant by 'winning', the tycoon listed a number of military operations conducted during his first and second terms. "What's going on in Iran is not good. It's one thing to protest, it's another to kill thousands of people. We will see how it will end for them. It will not end well," he added.

Iranian security forces involved in the country's ongoing protests often "shoot directly at the head and eyes" so that those affected "can no longer see", according to a physician in Tehran who told the Guardian of "hospitals and emergency rooms overflowing with protesters wounded by gunfire", according to local testimonies. "They are doing the same thing that happened in 2022," added the doctor quoted by the British newspaper, referring to the riot that broke out after the arrest of Mahsa Jina Amini, a 22-year-old student accused of not wearing the hijab properly, who later died in police custody. An eye doctor, adds the Guardian, reported 'more than 400 eye injuries caused by bullets in one hospital alone'.

Iraq's national security advisor, Qasim Al-Araji, had a phone call today with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, to discuss recent security developments in the region. This was stated by Al-Araji in a post on X, writes CNN. The two officials stressed the importance of controlling the shared borders between Iraq and Iran, Al-Araji added. According to Al-Araji, the two also stressed the need for enhanced coordination and cooperation "to prevent infiltration attempts by terrorist groups across the border".

Vice President JD Vance will chair the National Security Council meeting on Iran. It is unclear whether Donald Trump, who recently concluded his speech in Michigan, will return to the White House to join the meeting. According to the Wall Street Journal, the vice president leads the party within the administration that calls on the president to engage in diplomacy to the end before any military action.

"Iran, a regime that has lasted so many years and killed so many people does not deserve to exist. Changes are necessary'. This was stated on X by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Changes are also needed in Europe: the bloodshed started by Russia that continues to perpetrate must end," he added.

There is also a student who had attended the University of Messina among the victims of the clashes in Iran. He is Yasin Mirzaei, an ethnic Kurdish Geophysics student killed by gunfire on 8 January during protests against the regime. The University expresses "deep sorrow" for "an event that strikes and grieves the entire academic community even more". The University also expresses its "closeness and solidarity" to the Iranian student community of the University, which "is experiencing hours of great apprehension and suffering, exacerbated by the difficulty of contacting family and friends in Iran, with serious repercussions on personal wellbeing and on the serenity of the academic course". Lastly, the University "welcomes and supports the message of closeness expressed by the student representatives and the awareness-raising initiatives promoted in the city, while respecting the autonomy and freedom of expression of the university community".

Several countries are joining the US in urging its citizens to avoid any travel to Iran and to leave the country as soon as possible if they are already there. The Canada, in an update to its travel advice released this afternoon, urged its citizens to leave the Islamic Republic immediately.

Germany has also appealed to its citizens to leave the country, warning that those who choose to stay risk"arbitrary arrests". Berlin also pointed out that the German embassy in Tehran is only able to provide "limited assistance" on the spot. Australia in turn urged its citizens to leave, stating: 'if you remain in Iran against our advice, you are responsible for your safety'.

Donald Trump reiterated his promise of support for protesters in Iran. "Aid will come soon, the president said speaking in Detroit. "They'll pay a very high price," he added, recalling that he had "cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the nonsensical killing of protesters stops."

Il presidente Donald Trump tiene un discorso al Detroit Economic Club presso il MotorCity Casino Hotel, martedì 13 gennaio 2026, a Detroit. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Associated Press/ LaPresse

Iran 'has now been offline for 120 hours'. This is reported by the Netblocks network observatory according to which 'although some phone calls are now working, there is no safe way to communicate and the population remains isolated from the rest of the world'. The images that manage to leak out, Netblocks explains, 'show massive use of force against civilians'.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the latest developments with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a phone call, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry source.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in closed-door meetings held in recent days that at this stage Donald Trump is considering non-military responses in support of protesters in Iran. An informed source told Axios.

Elon Musk is offering Starlink internet service for free in Iran. This was reported by Bloomberg news agency citing sources who said that SpaceX has revoked the subscription fee to Starlink in Iran, so that people with receivers in the country can access the service without paying.

The European Union today summoned the Iranian ambassador to Brussels, Seyed Mohammad Ali Robatjazi, in the context of the bloody repression conducted by regime forces against demonstrators who have been protesting for days in the streets of several cities in the Islamic Republic. This was confirmed by EU sources. President Ursula von der Leyen said today that "further sanctions will be proposed quickly against those responsible for the repression".

One of the thousands of protesters arrested last week, Erfan Soltani, faces imminent execution after being tried and sentenced following his arrest last Thursday, reports the Guardian.

The 26-year-old was arrested in Karaj, a city on the north-western outskirts of Tehran, at the height of the protests, before the internet blackout.

"No one has been able to give me a precise number" on how many protesters have been killed in Iran. "I have heard that it is a considerable amount. But even one would already be a lot. We will probably know in the next few days." US President Donald Trump said this in Detroit.

"From Iran continue to arrive shocking images showing the brutal violence of a regime terrified of its own people. Terrified because the instruments of repression it relies on for its survival are no longer able to silence the cries for freedom that the world hears from the brave people risking their lives on the streets of Iran. Our message to them is: believe. Nobody thought the Berlin Wall would come down before it was torn down'. This was written on X by the President of the Eurochamber Roberta Metsola. "The desire for freedom can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Europe will not look away. The European Parliament has acted and banned diplomats of the Iranian regime, and we are pushing for tougher sanctions against those involved in the repression of protesters, including the final designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. Iran is changing. Iran will be free,' Metsola stressed.

U.S. President Donald Trump, asked what he meant in a social media post in which he wrote "help is on the way", told reporters that they would have to figure it out for themselves. "You'll have to figure it out. I'm sorry, Trump said in response to a question.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff met secretly over the weekend with the exiled former Iranian crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, to discuss the protests raging in Iran, according to a high ranking US official. Axios writes.

According to the American broadcaster Cbs, the number of victims of the repression in Iran is at least 12,000, but could be as high as 20,000. Cbs cites two sources, one of them inside the Islamic Republic, with whom it was able to speak after the restoration of international telephone calls.

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, at a joint press conference with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, said that 'it is not clear whether the (Iranian) regime will fall or not', but the EU will continue to support the civilian population.

"The courage of the Iranian people is cause for deep admiration. The regime has a long history of brutal repression of protests and no one knows what the coming days will hold. The harsh and violent response of the security forces is unacceptable and exposes a regime that is afraid of its own people," Kallas noted.

"The main murderers of the Iranian people: 1- Trump, 2- Netanyahu". This was written in a short post on X by the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, commenting on the message with which President Donald Trump today urged Iranians to continue their protests against the government and to take control of institutions.

The death toll of the ongoing protests in Iran is said to be around 3,000 people. The New York Times reports this, citing two Iranian officials. A senior official of the Ministry of Health confirmed the figure, while trying to attribute responsibility to 'terrorists' who he said were fuelling the unrest. The number would also include several hundred members of the security forces. Another government official claimed to have seen an internal report referring to at least 3,000 dead and added that the tally could rise further. If confirmed, this would be one of the most serious incidents of violence in Iran's recent history.

"The news coming out of Iran is of deep concern. I hope that every effort will prevail to ensure the protection of people". Thus the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana.

"I have summoned to the Foreign Ministry the ambassador of Iran, who will be at the Farnesina at 5.30 p.m.". This was announced by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaking in the Chamber of Deputies. "The value of freedom is the prerequisite for our government action. That freedom for which for days Iranian men and women have been fighting in the streets and squares, paying a very high price in blood, suffering, imprisonment and probably torture - he said - All this is absolutely unacceptable. We have always maintained a discreet presence in Iran, careful not to disrupt dialogue, which is always important even with regimes far away from us. But dialogue does not mean passive acceptance of the spectacle of a regime that violently represses its own citizens'.

Thousands of people gathered under the US consulate in Milan in Largo Donegani to demand US intervention in Iran. "Keep your promises President Trump", "Make Iran great again", "long live the Shah" were the slogans shouted in Farsi, English and Italian by the crowd, waving Iranian flags next to those of the Stars and Stripes and Israel. Demonstrators not only from Milan, but also from Turin and other northern cities came to the presidium organised by the Italy-Iran association. "Obama watched, Biden talked, you can act' was the message in English addressed to the US president.

"Those who intend to use the ongoing unrest" in Iran "as a pretext" for a new attack on the Islamic Republic like the one last June, "must be aware of the disastrous consequences of such actions for the situation in the Middle East and for global international security." This was said by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in a statement posted on the ministry's website. The spokeswoman accused "foreign forces hostile to Iran" of trying to "exploit growing social tensions to destabilise and destroy the Iranian state".

"Iranian patriots, keep protesting - occupy the institutions!!!". This was US President Donald Trump's appeal in a post on Truth Social, in which he urged protesters to "save the names of the murderers and abusers", who will "pay a dear price".

"I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until the senseless killing of protesters stops". This was made known by US President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social, assuring Iranian 'patriots' that help is on the way."

"The Italian Government is following with great concern the situation in Iran these days and the reports that are coming in about the numerous deaths among the demonstrators. Italy calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure respect for the rights of the people, including that of expression and peaceful assembly, and the safety of those demonstrating in the squares. Together with its European and G7 partners, the Italian government continues to work for a positive solution to the crisis, respectful of the Iranian people's aspirations for freedom and equal rights". This was stated in a note from Palazzo Chigi.

Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Jan 13 (LaPresse/AP) - The death toll from protests in Iran has risen to at least 2,000. This was reported by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, based on supporters in Iran verifying the information. The group pointed out that 1,847 of the victims recorded in more than two weeks of protests were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated. Nine children were also killed, as well as nine civilians who were reportedly not participating in the protests.

This figure is in line with what the regime claims, while the Iranian media Iran International speaks of six times the number of victims (see post 11:35).

Israel's political and security cabinet will meet today at 7pm (6pm in Italy) to discuss the Iranian issue. Among other things, possible plans for an attack against Iran, in coordination with the United States, will be examined. Ynet reports.

The main pro-Iranian Shia militias in Iraq have raised the alert level and threatened retaliation in the event of a US attack on Tehran, while protests against the regime continue in Iran. The secretary-general of Kataib Hezbollah, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, warned that "the war against Iran will not be a walkover" and that the US "will pay a high price", according to a message circulated by channels close to the militias.

Abu Azrael, commander of the Kataib al-Imam Ali militia, also openly defended Tehran, accusing the protesters of being "tools of the enemy" and acting on "Zionist agendas".
The pro-Iranian militias operate in Iraq within the Popular Mobilisation Forces and maintain close ties with the Iranian security apparatus.

Donald Trump has been briefed on a wide range of covert and military tools to be used in Iran, CBS reports, citing two Defence Department officials (see 8:03 post). Long-range missile strikes remain an option for potential US intervention, but Pentagon officials also presented cyber operations and psychological responses to the campaign. Trump's national security team is expected to hold a meeting at the White House on Tuesday to discuss options for Iran, the sources reported, but it is unclear whether the president himself will be present.

'Iran does not seek enmity with the EU, but will reciprocate any restrictions'. This is what Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on social X after the European Parliament announced yesterday that it would ban Iranian diplomats and representatives. Araghchi also criticised the European Parliament for not taking any meaningful action against Israel over the war in Gaza, which lasted more than two years and claimed the lives of more than 71,400 Palestinians, while banning Iranian diplomats after only 'a few days of violent riots'.

"The value of freedom is the prerequisite for our government action. That freedom for which, I cannot help but remember, in these days the women and men of Iran are fighting in the streets and squares, paying a very high price in bloodshed, suffering, imprisonment, probably torture. All this is absolutely unacceptable'. This was said by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in his urgent briefing to the Senate on the situation in Venezuela.

'We,' Tajani explained, 'have always maintained a discreet presence in Iran, careful to protect national interests and not to let the reasons for dialogue, which is always important even with regimes far away from us, fail. But dialogue does not mean passive acceptance of the spectacle of a regime that violently represses its own citizens'.

"The growing number of victims in Iran is terrifying. I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and the continued restriction of freedom. The European Union has already included the entire Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in its sanctions regime for human rights violations. In close cooperation with High Representative Kaja Kallas, further sanctions will quickly be proposed to those responsible for the repression. We stand by the Iranian people who are courageously marching for their freedom". This was stated by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on X.

These are decisive hours for US President Donald J. Trump, who is confronted with a dilemma that is now difficult to avoid: to intervene militarily against the Iranian leadership, as he implied in his post on Truth Social on 2 January when he declared that the United States is 'locked and loaded' (ready for action) or to remain on the sidelines, hoping that the popular uprisings in Iran alone will lead to the collapse of the regime.

Should Trump decide not to act, the cost would first and foremost be political and reputational. Having drawn a public red line, inaction would risk eroding American credibility in the region. In Iran, part of the popular mobilisation seems to have found new hope precisely in the perception that Trump represents external leverage against authoritarian regimes: slogans and placards calling for US intervention can be seen in several cities, with messages such as 'Trump, symbol of peace: don't let them kill us'. In this context, a step backwards would be read as a betrayal of expectations.

(A He is one of the symbols of the protests in Iran: a 17-year-old young man, Amir Ali Haydari, among the young victims of the repression in Iran. His cousin, Diako, who lives in Cardiff, told Britain's Sky News that the boy took part in protests last Thursday with his classmates in Kermanshah, in the west of the country, where he was slaughtered by police forces. And where 'hundreds of people' were allegedly killed. "He was shot in the heart, and as he took his last breath, they hit him in the head with the butt of a gun, so many times that his brains scattered on the ground," Diako said, reporting the news from family members in Iran. "Then, at the morgue where all the bodies are, they issued a death certificate stating a fall from a great height."

Amir Ali Haydari

Aveva 17 anni

Il 17enne Amir Ali Haydari, morto nelle repressioni delle proteste in Iran, 13 gennaio 2026, X/Sky News

an ''escalation'' caused by an American intervention in Iran would have ''catastrophic consequences for the region''. This was stated by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari at a press conference in Doha. ''We want to avoid this escalation as much as possible,'' al-Ansari added. ''We are still at a stage where we believe it is possible to reach a diplomatic solution,'' he added, speaking of ''ongoing talks with the parties. Qatar hosts the largest American base in the region. In June, Iran fired missiles at this base in response to the US attack on its nuclear facilities.

"As far as we know, so far this is just a social media post." This is how European Commission spokesman Olof Gill responded to questions about possible impacts on the EU of US President Donald Trump's announcement of 25% tariffs against countries that trade with Iran (see 6:41 post).

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, challenged Friedrich Merz after the German Chancellor criticised Tehran for the violence used in suppressing protests in Iran, adding that the collapse of the Islamic Republic could soon be witnessed (see post at 9.20am). What, then, does Mr. Merz have to say about his unconditional support for the mass murder of 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza?", Araghchi wrote in a message on X.

About 2,000 people were killed during protests in Iran, an Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, blaming 'terrorists' for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Tusk, said he was "horrified" by the "crackdown" on anti-government demonstrations in Iran, which several NGOs said had resulted in hundreds of deaths. "The killing of peaceful protesters must stop and it is unacceptable to label protesters as 'terrorists' to justify violence against them," Tusk said in a note.

The Israel Defence Forces stated that they remain on alert for possible 'surprise scenarios', as the anti-government unrest in ;Iran has prompted the US to threaten intervention if protesters are killed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against Israel and US military bases if it comes under US attack. The Times of Israel writes this. Human rights associations claim that the death toll in the country has risen to 648, although it could be much higher due to the internet blackout imposed by the regime since Thursday, making an accurate estimate of the reported massacre difficult. Some Iranians still have access to the internet via Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service, three people inside the country said.

Iran cut off internet access on 8 January because 'terrorist operations' had begun during protests initially linked to economic claims, the foreign minister told Al Jazeera. "The government was in dialogue with the protesters. The internet was only interrupted when we were faced with terrorist operations and realised that the orders were coming from abroad,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. Human rights defenders accused the Islamic Republic of disrupting internet access in order to conceal a repression that they claim has caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths.

The regime in Tehran is living ''its last days''. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this as street protests in Iran continued. ''I believe we are witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime,'' the German Chancellor said, again calling on the mullahs to end violence against protesters. "When a regime manages to stay in power only through violence, it has in fact come to an end," he said from Bangalore, India

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation today summoned the Iranian ambassador to Spain, Reza Zabib, to express the Spanish government's condemnation of the violent repression of protesters in Iran.

José Manuel Albares explained this in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio's 'El matí' programme, reported by Servimedia. "We want to express our strong condemnation and outrage at what has been happening in Iran for days," where hundreds of people have died as a result of the official response to street protests, said Albares

China today condemned US President Donald Trump's decision to impose additional 25% tariffs on countries that trade with Iran.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, in her daily press conference in Beijing, commenting on President Trump's words, reiterated China's 'firm opposition' to 'tariff wars' and warned that it would 'firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests'.

The Pentagon presented US President Donald Trump with a wide range of options for a possible attack against Iran, including the possibility of striking parts of Tehran's nuclear programme. The New York Times reported this overnight, citing a senior American source.

However, according to the source, the options currently considered most likely would be targeted interventions, such as a cyber attack or an action against Iran's internal security apparatus, which is accused of forcibly repressing protests in the country. Any such operation, the official added, would be "just days away

Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Persia, says he already has a plan to take over the reins of Iran if the ayatollahs' regime falls. He says this in an interview published today by the Corriere della sera, in which he maintains that there will be no power vacuum.

"We already have a plan, there will be no vacuum. We have been preparing for this moment for years,' says Pahlavi, explaining that the project, called the Iran Prosperity Project, envisages an initial emergency phase to ensure the continuity of services and security during the first 180 days

The ability to make international calls from some mobile phones in Iran is back, after the authorities in Tehran imposed a communications blackout as protests spread across the country. This was reported by several social and media accounts citing a test carried out by the Ap.

More than 10,700 people were arrested during the two weeks of protests in Iran, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which provided accurate data on the unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll on Tuesday morning. The agency relies on cross-checks among supporters in Iran.

US President Donald Trump is considering various diplomatic options with Iran, while at the same time considering a military strike to deter Iranian leaders from killing more protesters. The Pentagon, writes the New York Tines, is presenting Trump with a broader range of attack options than previously reported. Possible targets include Iran's nuclear programme, with actions that would go beyond the US air raids that hit it in June, and ballistic missile launch sites, according to a US official. However, the most likely options, according to the same source, would be a cyber attack or an attack against Iran's internal security apparatus, which is using lethal force against protesters. Any attack is however expected in several days' time and could provoke a strong retaliation by Iran. Trump is expected to be briefed on the different options today.

"Effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will be required to pay a 25% tariff on all commercial transactions conducted with the United States of America. This order is final and binding." Donald Trump announced this in a post on Truth Social.

- The US State Department issued a warning to US citizens in Iran in light of the growing protests. "| US citizens should expect continued disruptions to Internet connections, plan for alternative means of communication and, if safe, consider leaving Iran by land to Armenia or Turkey," the department said, according to Ynet reports.

"US-Iranian dual citizenship holders must leave the country using Iranian passports. Iran does not recognise dual citizenship and will only treat dual nationals as Iranian citizens,' he continues. 'US citizens run the significant risk of interrogation and detention in Iran. Presenting a US passport or proof of ties to the US could be sufficient grounds for Iranian authorities to detain a person'.