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Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani blamed what he described as “armed protesters” for deaths during nationwide unrest, saying security forces had identified and begun arresting ringleaders of violent groups.
“Security forces have identified the ringleaders, arrested some of them, and will arrest others,” Larijani said in an interview with state media. “They will be dealt with.”
Larijani said some protesters had been “deceived,” while others were armed with rifles and handguns obtained from various sources. “Our problem arose only because they used those weapons,” he said.
“They tried to take over military and police centers, but we were prepared, and they did not succeed,” he said.
French, British and German leaders on Friday condemned the killing of protesters in Iran and called on Iranian authorities to halt the use of violence, according to a joint statement released by the office of French President Emmanuel Macron.
“The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” the statement said, stopping short of outlining specific consequences
The coordinated response from France, United Kingdom and Germany comes amid mounting international concern over a widening crackdown in Iran, where internet disruptions and restrictions on reporting have made it increasingly difficult to verify the full scale of casualties.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has instructed private media outlets and state television in Kabul to refrain from airing any supportive coverage of protesters in Iran or broadcasting negative reports about the Iranian government.
Sources from two private media outlets and Afghanistan’s national television confirmed the directive to Afghanistan International Pashto on Friday.
Several senior editors and managers at different news outlets in Afghanistan also confirmed the order, saying it specifically requires media to avoid any supportive coverage of protests in Iran.
At least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed during Iran’s latest wave of nationwide unrest, according to figures released on Friday by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, as authorities imposed a total internet blackout.
The organization said the deaths have been confirmed over 13 days of anti-government protests, which began on Dec. 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic grievances and quickly spread nationwide with explicitly anti-regime slogans.
According to the group’s verified data, the protesters have been killed across 11 provinces, with hundreds more wounded. Only cases confirmed directly by the organization or by at least two independent sources are included in the current toll.
Among the confirmed fatalities are nine minors under the age of 18, though the organization said documentation confirming the precise ages of all child victims is still being collected.
The rights group also reported receiving unverified accounts of dozens more deaths in Tehran, Mashhad, Fardis in Karaj, and Hamedan. Those cases are undergoing verification and are not yet reflected in the official tally.
"The Iranian regime is doing what it has always been doing: subjugating the people of Iran," Republican Senator Bill Hagerty told Iran International on the killing of protesters.
"I think the American people are for the people of Iran. We always have been."
Asked whether he supports a regime change in Iran, Hagerty said the Iranian people will make the decision.
