Iranian Security Forces Kill Thousands, Shut Down Internet and Halt Travel to Kurdistan

A wave of nationwide protests in Iran has been met with a severe security response, including a near-total communications blackout, mass arrests, and a reported high death toll.

“Amnesty International says verified videos, photos, hospital and morgue footage, pathologist consultation and dozens of eyewitness accounts show Iranian security forces carried out mass unlawful killings during a brutal crackdown on largely peaceful protests that began 28 December and intensified in early January”

Amnesty International

The unrest has sharply reduced cross-border travel to Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

Amnesty International

International outlets report that Iran moved to cut most communications as authorities tried to quell demonstrations, while the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting at the U.S. request.

Reports place the death toll at roughly 2,600-2,640, with some rights groups warning the numbers may be far higher.

Border crossings such as Erbil's Haji Omaran and Penjwen's Bashmakh have seen daily traffic fall by roughly half, with drivers saying travelers are mainly returning residents or students rather than tourists.

The communications shutdown has made independent verification of casualty counts and other claims difficult.

Activists warn that executions of detainees may be imminent.

Human-rights organisations and activists describe a deadly escalation.

Amnesty International says it has audiovisual records and eyewitness accounts pointing to widespread lethal attacks.

Associated Press

Amnesty accuses security forces of using shotguns and rifles with metal pellets and of firing directly at crowds.

Amnesty and other groups have urged the U.N. to intervene and called the pattern "mass unlawful killings."

Iranian officials deny planned mass hangings and frame the unrest as foreign-orchestrated.

Some outlets and monitors put the death toll higher than the activist figures reported to international media.

The blackout and telecom disruptions have driven Iranians and supporters to satellite options.

“Additional reporting says videos from a Tehran morgue reveal the brutality of the authorities' crackdown on protesters”

BBC

Those satellite options also face jamming and legal risks, according to multiple outlets that reported a near-total communications shutdown leaving only limited ways to share video and coordinate.

SpaceX's Starlink has been used in-country, with reports it temporarily waived fees to help users.

At the same time, sources describe state attempts to locate or jam terminals and warnings that users face severe punishment if caught.

Observers say the blackout and jamming complicate verification of events and reduce international visibility of both protests and rights abuses.

Unrest in Tehran and the government's domestic crackdown prompted international concern and regional military precautions.

Iran briefly closed its airspace for several hours, forcing airlines to reroute.

BBC

Western governments adjusted military postures and issued travel warnings.

There were reports of personnel movements from bases such as al‑Udeid and some evacuations.

G7 countries expressed alarm and discussed potential measures.

U.S. political leaders also weighed in publicly, with President Trump warning of possible retaliation if mass killings or executions occurred.

He said he had been told some execution plans were halted.

Diplomats and analysts warned that military steps could risk wider escalation.

On the ground, the combined effect of killings, trials and communications restrictions has immediate human and economic costs.

“People and traffic still regularly cross the Iran-Iraq border At the border crossing from Iran into Iraqi Kurdistan, the stern face of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, peers down at the trickle of Iranians leaving the territory”

BBC

Families struggle to recover bodies and pay fees.

BBC

Drivers and border communities lose income as cross-border traffic plunges.

Detained protesters face expedited trials amid warnings of harsh penalties.

Reporting emphasizes different angles: human-rights documentation of injuries and alleged unlawful killings.

Regional accounts focus on travel and daily hardship.

International sources express concern about escalation.

All sources reflect a highly volatile, information-scarce environment where many claims remain contested.