New figures reveal 33,000 people have been killed in Iran's ongoing protests, as the regime threatens all-out war if the United States takes military action. The death toll, uncovered by German-Iranian human rights campaigner Prof Amir-Mobarez Parasta, represents a significant increase from previous estimates of around 31,100 killed.
Almost 100,000 people have been injured in the crackdown, with 30 per cent suffering eye wounds, according to Parasta's research. The regime has executed 468 people in Tehran and more than 500 elsewhere in the country.
An Iranian official warned the country would treat any attack "as an all-out war against us." Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's government has responded to the demonstrations with what has been described as a brutal crackdown on protesters.
Surgeon reveals scale of violence
An unnamed surgeon provided testimony to The Guardian and the Center for Human Rights in Iran detailing the escalation of violence. The doctor described working in a Tehran hospital on January 8th, when approximately 18 emergency operations were performed between 9pm and 6am - compared to the usual two emergency surgeries per night.
The surgeon heard DShK machine guns and treated victims ranging from a 16-year-old child to a man in his 70s. After traveling to a city in central Iran the following morning, the doctor witnessed 13 abdominal and chest surgeries performed in a single night at one hospital.
Based on hospital capacity and experience, the surgeon estimated more than 1,000 people were killed in one night in a city of about two million people, and more than 20,000 killed across Iran.
Communication blackouts were imposed at 8pm, cutting off internet and mobile phones. Gunfire began around 8.10pm or 8.20pm. The surgeon observed nearly a liter of blood pooled in a gutter with a trail stretching several meters.
US military response
President Donald Trump has issued warnings to Iran as a US armada heads toward the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and several guided-missile destroyers are moving into position. US military chiefs at Centcom have reportedly arrived in Israel and are drawing up plans.
A source in touch with protest groups in Iran called the death toll "genocide."
Background
The demonstrations began on December 28th last year, starting with shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran's Grand Bazaar over frustration with record-high inflation, food prices, and currency depreciation. University students later joined, and protests spread to major cities across the country.
More than 100 protesters gathered outside Downing Street yesterday, calling on the UK Government to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).