Iran and Theocracy

From late December, a wave of protests began in cities across Iran, initially driven by economic grievances but quickly expanding into political demands, explicit slogans against the Islamic Republic, and calls for the overthrow of the system. Security forces, including the Basij, police, and the IRGC, responded with widespread violence, live ammunition, and direct fire, while simultaneously cutting or severely restricting internet access to disrupt the flow of information. The number of those killed remains unclear due to the lack of official transparency, but some Western sources and opposition-aligned media report that more than 12,000 deaths.Iranian officials, without providing specific figures, have spoken of a “large number of people killed.”