The situation across Iran has become increasingly dire amid anti-government protests. The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reported that at least 2,403 people have been killed in the protests that began in late December.
Among the dead are 12 children under the age of 18. At the same time, more than 18,000 people have been arrested.
CNN reported that these numbers could not be independently verified due to an internet blackout in Iran, and it is feared that the actual death toll could be higher.
Earlier, in an interview with Reuters, an Iranian official acknowledged that nearly 2,000 people had died in the protests, the first major admission by Iranian authorities. However, Tehran has claimed responsibility for the deaths to be a “terrorist group”.
International concern over the internal situation in Iran is intensifying amid rising deaths and mass arrests.