Reuters reports that the death toll in Iran's protests has reached 5,000, while Iran's judiciary signals that executions may continue despite Trump's claim they have stopped.
On Sunday, 18 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Reuters reported that local Iranian officials revealed the death toll from the large protests, which began in late December, has risen to at least 5,000, including about 500 security personnel. They accused terrorists and armed rioters of killing innocent Iranians.
The nationwide protests erupted from dissatisfaction with economic problems and have expanded widely over the past two weeks, demanding the government end its rule. This led to violent clashes with authorities, becoming the bloodiest unrest since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979.
U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to intervene if protesters continued to be killed on the streets or executed. However, in a social media post on Friday, Trump thanked Iranian leaders, claiming the government had halted up to 800 planned executions.
Nonetheless, Asgar Jahangir, spokesperson for Iran's judiciary, indicated in a press conference on Sunday that executions might still proceed.
"Several acts have been identified as the crime of Mohareb, one of the severest punishments under Islamic law," Jahangir said. The term Mohareb is an Islamic legal concept meaning "waging war against God," which under Iranian law carries the death penalty.
The U.S.-based human rights group HRANA revealed on Saturday that the death toll during the major protests in Iran stands at 3,308, with another 4,382 cases under review. They also confirmed over 24,000 arrests.
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Source:cna