Iran declares 3-day mourning amid deadly protests, accuses US-Israel interference
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Tehran: Iran announced a three-day "National Mourning" period on Sunday for victims of ongoing anti-government protests, while calling for nationwide marches on Monday to support the Islamic Republic.
Activists report over 500 deaths in the unrest, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) verifies 490 protesters and 48 security personnel killed, with 10,600 arrests in two weeks. Iran has not released official figures.
The government accuses the US and Israel of orchestrating the violence. In a January 9 UN letter, Ambassador Amir Saied Irvani condemned Washington and Tel Aviv for threats, incitement, and deliberate encouragement of instability, citing President Trump's intervention warnings and a 2025 Israeli-US conflict that killed 1,100 Iranians.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that any US attack would target "occupied territories (Israel) as well as all U.S. bases and ships." The letter invokes UN Charter Articles 2(4) and 2(7), rejecting external interference in Iran's "domestic jurisdiction."
Iran frames the protests, its largest since Mahsa Amini's 2022 death, as foreign-backed destabilization, not legitimate dissent.