More than 6,000 killed during Iran's crackdown as currency falls to record low

More than 6,000 killed during Iran's crackdown as currency falls to record low

ITV News

Tue, January 27, 2026 at 1:47 PM UTC

3 min read

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At least 6,000 people, including dozens of children, were killed during Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests, activists have said, as the country's currency continues to freefall.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed the killing of 6,126 people since the protests began on December 28, sparked by the fall of the Iranian currency, the rial.

The protests, which quickly gained momentum and spread across the country, were met by a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy, the scale of which is only starting to become clear as the country has faced more than two weeks of internet blackout.

The price of food has soared in recent years as the rial falls.<span> Credit: AP</span> — The price of food has soared in recent years as the rial falls. Credit: AP

Among the dead were at least 5,777 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who were not demonstrating. More than 41,800 people have been arrested during the crackdown, the group added.

Iran's government said last week that 3,117 people had been killed, saying 2,472 were civilians and security forces, and labelling the rest "terrorists".

The protests in Iran first began in December when shopkeepers in Tehran's bazaar took to the streets to express their anger at another sharp fall in the value of the rial against the US dollar on the open market.

The rial has sunk to a record low over the past year, and inflation has soared, which has resulted in crippling price rises for food and other daily necessities.

Iran has faced significant sanctions from the US, Europe and the United Nations in recent years, which have squeezed an economy also weakened by government mismanagement and corruption.

Who is Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei?

Why are there protests in Iran, and how are the UK and US involved?

Tensions between Iran and the US have been high since the crackdown began, with President Donald Trump threatening military action over the killing of peaceful protesters or Tehran launching mass executions in the wake of demonstrations before appearing to back down in January, telling reporters that the killing of Iranian protesters had "stopped".

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.<span> Credit: AP</span> — In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Credit: AP

But speculation continues to mount as to whether or not the US will strike Iran in response to the government’s violent crackdown on street protests. The US military has confirmed that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group has arrived in the Middle East to lead any American military response to the crisis.

Iran’s UN ambassador told a Security Council meeting late on Monday that Trump’s repeated threats to use military force against the country "are neither ambiguous nor misinterpreted".

Amir Saeid Iravani also repeated allegations that the U.S. leader incited violence by "armed terrorist groups" supported by the United States and Israel, but gave no evidence to support his claims.

Iranian state media has tried to accuse forces abroad of the protests as the theocracy remains broadly unable to address the country's ailing economy, which is still squeezed by international sanctions, particularly over its nuclear program.

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