Full Analysis Summary
Iran protests and crackdown
Iranian security forces have escalated a violent crackdown on nationwide protests that began on Dec. 28, 2025.
Reports say live ammunition was used in Ilam province, where at least 11 protesters were killed.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) describes a sharp escalation in tactics, including live fire and hospital raids, and calls these actions crimes against humanity.
Local Kurdish activists documented multiple deaths and detentions in Ilam.
BBC verification work confirmed at least 11 deaths.
Several rights groups and news outlets report differing national fatality totals amid ongoing clashes.
Coverage Differences
Tone and severity
CHRI (Other) frames the events as a sharp escalation amounting to "crimes against humanity," using strong legal terminology; in contrast, Western mainstream outlets such as BBC (Western Mainstream) and The Guardian (Western Mainstream) report verified death tolls and broader protest spread but present a more measured, journalistic tone focused on numbers and official responses. Local activist outlets such as الحرّة (Other) emphasize immediate eyewitness counts and violent acts in Ilam.
Reported hospital raids and abuses
Multiple sources report security forces stormed hospitals and targeted medical staff in Ilam and other cities.
Al-Hurra reports security forces stormed Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, forcibly entering wards, detaining about 35 injured protesters, and assaulting medical staff.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) likewise lists raids on hospitals and beatings of medical personnel among escalated tactics.
The Guardian says footage showed riot police raiding a hospital.
Activist outlets, including groups linked to PMOI/MEK, allege tear gas and dispersal tactics were used inside Sina Hospital and other medical facilities.
These hospital-raid claims have been widely reported by rights groups and local outlets, while some activist networks caution that not all individual claims have independent verification.
Coverage Differences
Narrative detail and verification
Local and rights-focused outlets (الحرة - Other; CHRI - Other) provide detailed allegations about hospital raids, detentions of injured protesters and assault on staff, using first-person hospital doctor accounts; The Guardian (Western Mainstream) reports footage of a hospital raid but pairs it with official responses such as an announced investigation; activist and exile sources (mojahedin.org - Other) repeat detailed claims (tear gas inside hospitals) but also note many claims "have not been independently verified."
Origins and spread of unrest
The unrest began as economic protests over a collapsing currency and rising inflation but has broadened geographically and politically.
BBC and Madhyamam Online emphasize economic drivers, saying the unrest was driven mainly by anger over a sharp currency devaluation and broader economic hardship.
The Guardian and EA WorldView document a rapid spread, with The Guardian noting protests in at least 257 locations across 88 cities and rights groups reporting large numbers of arrests.
Activist and exile organizations such as the NCRI, Mojahedin.org and EA WorldView highlight a widening political agenda, including anti-regime slogans, strikes, occupations and market closures, and calls to challenge the clerical leadership.
They also report chants like "Woman, Life, Freedom."
Coverage Differences
Framing of causes and aims
Western mainstream sources (BBC, The Guardian) frame the unrest primarily as an economic uprising triggered by currency collapse and inflation; by contrast, exile/activist sources (NCRI - Other; mojahedin.org - Other; EA WorldView - Western Alternative) emphasize the protests' political evolution, reporting chants to overthrow the regime, strikes and direct attacks on regime installations. Regional/Asian outlets (madhyamamonline - Asian) underscore both the economic drivers and the growing political demands.
Security operations and unrest
Reports describe a heavy security response, with the IRGC and police increasing deployments and turning some cities into fortified zones.
Al-Hurra says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has increased deployments in Kurdish areas, turning cities into military zones, and EA WorldView and other outlets document water cannon, tear gas, and live fire in various cities.
The Guardian and BBC note state attempts to balance repression and conciliation, reporting that President Masoud Pezeshkian announced an investigation even as police and Basij units continued arrests; local groups report municipal-level clashes, barricades, and occasional security withdrawals.
Coverage Differences
Focus on militarization vs. official response
Regional/rights sources (الحرة - Other; CHRI - Other) emphasize IRGC deployments and military-style control of cities; Western mainstream outlets (The Guardian - Western Mainstream; BBC - Western Mainstream) stress both the force used and official gestures (investigations, dialogue) suggesting a dual strategy; alternative and activist sources (EA WorldView - Western Alternative; NCRI - Other) highlight the tactical ebb and flow on the ground, including reports of security withdrawals or being overwhelmed in some towns.
International reactions and verification
International reactions and reporting caveats are mixed.
Several outlets report heightened international attention, including a U.S. warning noted by multiple sources that President Donald Trump said the United States 'would come to [the protesters’] aid' if leadership killed demonstrators.
Reuters relayed that detail in coverage cited by الحرّة and The Guardian.
Independent verification remains an explicit concern: EA WorldView and mojahedin.org note that many detailed claims—live ammunition use, hospital attacks and specific casualty figures—are based on activist networks and local footage and have not been independently verified.
Rights groups and CHRI press for accountability and describe the conduct in legal terms.
Coverage Differences
Verification and international framing
Western mainstream outlets (The Guardian - Western Mainstream; BBC - Western Mainstream) report official statements, verified footage, and international diplomatic reactions; activist and exile sources (mojahedin.org - Other; EA WorldView - Western Alternative) emphasize broad claims and slogans but repeatedly caution that independent verification is limited; CHRI (Other) focuses on legal characterization and human-rights implications, asserting the actions "amount to crimes against humanity."