In Tehran on Saturday, confrontations between Iranian regime enforcers and student demonstrators resulted in injuries, as the Islamic Republic denied accusations of having killed over 30,000 of its citizens.
Students from Sharif University of Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology, and Beheshti University of Tehran took to the streets, chanting slogans such as “Death to Khamenei,” reported by Iran International.
At Sharif University, student protesters encountered aggression from the Basij militia, a paramilitary group aligned with the Iranian government, as reported by the Times of Israel.
seen regime thugs kill thousands of civilians. X/dashalivafaei
The altercations left several students injured, with the crowd labeling the Basij attackers as “shameless,” according to the same source.
Details regarding the severity of the injuries remain unknown.
In the eastern city of Mashhad, protests also erupted. Demonstrators at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences gathered, loudly demanding “freedom,” as shown in a video shared by Iran International.
Widespread uprisings sprung to life in late December as demonstrators took to the streets across Iran to protest a failing economy — protests which spawned into calls for regime change.
President Trump said the brutally repressive regime has been responsible for the murder of roughly 32,000 Iranians during the demonstrations, Al Jazeera reported.
But the Islamic Republic pushed back on Trump’s estimate, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claiming on Saturday that only 3,117 Iranians have been killed — and their death came as a result of the US’ prodding, calling the dead “victims of a recent terrorist operation.”
“If anyone disputes accuracy of our data, please share any evidence,” Araghchi wrote on X hours after Trump’s comments.
UN-based Human Rights Activists in Iran documented more than 7,000 people were killed during the protests and is investigating 12,000 additional cases, according to Al Jazeera.
The wide disparity in casualties data comes as heightened tensions in the region loom.
Trump warned Tehran that it has 10 days to strike a deal on nuclear proliferation and weapons manufacturing or else the US and Israel plan to launch airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the US continues to build up its military presence in the region in preparation for a potential conflict. The USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Mediterranean Sea Friday morning.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and several other vessels including in a massive “armada” have been stationed on the other side of Iran in the Arabian Sea.
