More Than 30,000 People May Have Been Killed In Iran Protests, Says Time Magazine
The Iran protest death toll may surpass more than 30,000 people, according to two senior Iranian health officials who spoke to Time magazine.
The report, published on January 25, says the majority of deaths occurred during January 8–9, when the government’s crackdown on nationwide protests reached its peak. Due to intense censorship and a prolonged Internet shutdown, the information could not be independently verified.
The reported figure sharply contradicts the official death toll of 3,117 announced by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council earlier this week, but aligns more closely with international estimates.
The United Nations has suggested significantly higher casualties, and Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said on January 22 the number of civilians killed in the crackdown could surpass 20,000 as reports from doctors surface.. Amnesty International has described the killings as being on an “unprecedented scale,” citing live fire, metal pellets, and the obstruction of access to medical care.
According to Time, the scale of deaths during those two days -- following a call by former crown prince Reza Pahlavi urging people to join the protests -- overwhelmed state resources. Officials reportedly ran out of body bags, ambulances were unable to transport the dead, and authorities resorted to using 18-wheel trucks.
These estimates reportedly align with hospital data reviewed by Dr. Amir Parasta, a German-Iranian eye surgeon. According to him, a count gathered by physicians and first responders shows at least 30,304 deaths as of January 23, a figure he cautioned remains incomplete.
Iranian Foreign Minister Claims Kharg Strike Launched From UAE
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has claimed that the US strike on Iran’s Kharg Island was launched from the United Arab Emirates, saying missiles were fired from “Ras al-Khaimah and an area near Dubai,” according to Persian-language media reports.
Araqchi provided no evidence for the allegation and said Tehran would respond to the attack while also seeking to avoid densely populated areas.
Trump Says 'Many Countries' May Deploy Warships To Protect Strait Of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump says that countries affected by Iran’s attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz may send warships to help keep the key shipping route open alongside American forces.
“Many Countries… will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States… to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote on the Truth Social platform on March 14.
Trump claimed the United States had “already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability,” and that the threat posed by Iran had been "totally decapitated." However, he warned Iran could still threaten shipping with drones, mines, or missiles.
He added that the United States would continue striking Iranian coastal targets and vessels, saying Washington would ensure the strait is “OPEN, SAFE, and FREE.”
Inside Israel’s largest hospital, doctors work two stories underground as the war with Iran continues. At the Sheba Medical Center, much of the facility has moved below ground to keep operating despite the threat of Iranian missile strikes. (Video report by RFE/RL's Ray Furlong.)
Iranian Lawmaker Warns Ukraine Is Becoming 'Legitimate Target'
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, warned on X that Ukraine is becoming a “legitimate target” for providing “drone support to the Israeli regime.”
Iran itself has been supplying drones to Russia that have been widely used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Israeli Defense Minister Says Iran Campaign Will Continue 'As Long As Necessary'
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the US–Israeli military campaign against Iran was entering a decisive phase and would continue “as long as necessary” to achieve its objectives.
Speaking at briefing alongside senior military officials on March 14, Katz said operations were hitting "strategic targets" in Tehran and across Tehran, and were intended to weaken the regime and create conditions for the Iranian public to challenge it.
Katz said the offensive would proceed without a set timetable until Israel and its allies achieve victory in the campaign.
He added that strikes were being conducted systematically against key regime institutions and security forces while Israel monitored developments inside Iran.
Iran Says 56 Cultural Sites Damaged In US-Israeli Attacks
Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage said on March 14 that at least 56 museums, historic buildings, and cultural sites across the country have suffered serious damage in the two weeks since the start of joint US-Israeli attacks.
The ministry said the highest number of damaged sites was recorded in Tehran, with 19, and Kurdistan Province, with 12.
Among the sites listed on the Iranian government’s official account on the social media platform X were Asif Mansion, Salar Saeed Mansion, and Khosroabad Mansion in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, historic 19th-century Qajar-era residences.
Photographs circulating earlier also showed damage to Golestan Palace in Tehran, a UNESCO-listed royal complex, and Ali Qapu Palace in Isfahan, a landmark Safavid-era palace overlooking Naqsh-e Jahan Square.
In Israel's Medical Bunkers, Doctors Ready To Work 'Indefinitely'
- By Ray Furlong
TEL AVIV – After several twists down a concrete stairwell, a buzzing underground world is revealed. Ambulances unloading patients on gurneys, rows of field-hospital tents, workmen fixing overhead cables, and medical personnel in an array of uniforms.
This is the Sheba Medical Center, the largest hospital in the Middle East, with 11,000 employees, 1,700 doctors, and over 3,000 nurses. And most of it is functioning underground to stay out of reach of Iranian ballistic missiles.
“This place is not a field hospital. This is the hospital. It is just subterranean,” Yardena Koppel, a pediatric doctor, told RFE/RL.
Rattling off a list of departments that are, she said, fully functioning, Koppel added: “Each area is well-oiled and functions within itself. It's something really incredible, something I've never seen before.”
The hospital has moved some operations below ground in Israel’s previous conflicts, but never on such a scale. This location, two stories below ground, is just one of five containing hundreds of patients -- while some sections of the hospital are deemed well-protected enough to keep working in their usual places.
Read more here.
CENTCOM Says It Carried Out 'Large-Scale Precision Strike' On Kharg Island
The US Central Command CENTCOM) says its forces "executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island" on March 14.
"The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites," CENTCOM said on social media, posting a video previously shared by US President Donald Trump that appeared show explosions on the island
"U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure," CENTCOM added.
Fire Reportedly Disrupts Oil-Loading At Key UAE Port
Some oil-loading operations were suspended at the United Arab Emirates’ port of Fujairah, a major refueling hub for ships outside the Strait of Hormuz, after a fire broke out on March 14, industry and trade sources said.
Authorities said the fire started when debris fell during the interception of a drone. No injuries were reported, and civil defense teams were working to contain the blaze, the emirate’s media office said.
Officials did not confirm the reported suspension of port operations.
Earlier, Bloomberg News reported that some oil-loading activities at Fujairah port had been halted following a drone attack and fire.
The Abu Dhabi state oil company ADNOC, which operates in the emirate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
With reporting by Reuters
Bombing Of Several Military Sites Reported Around The City Of Tabriz
Hours after the Israeli military warned residents in parts of the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran, an official from the East Azerbaijan provincial administration confirmed that Israel had attacked “several military sites.”
According to the head of crisis management at the East Azerbaijan provincial governor’s office, the Israeli military bombed “a private industrial facility in western Tabriz, a production unit in the Akhula area, and several military centers around the city,” the state-aligned Mehr news agency reported.
He did not provide further details.
The official also reported that five people were injured in the attacks.