Around 2,000 people have been killed in Iran amid the ongoing protests, an Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, blaming "terrorists" for the deaths of civilians and security personnel.
In addition, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that he was "horrified" by mounting violence by Iran's security forces against peaceful protesters.
"This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality, and justice must be heard," Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement read out by UN rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.
Asked to comment on the scale of the killings, Laurence, citing the United Nations' own sources in Iran, said, "The number that we're hearing is hundreds."
IRGC blocks cities, sets up checkpoints across western Iran, sources tell the Post
Meanwhile, sources have told The Jerusalem Post that in the western Iranian provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam, entrances to many cities have been blocked and numerous checkpoints have been set up.
According to the sources, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security forces are stopping vehicles, searching them, and in some cases forcing citizens to unlock their mobile phones.
In border areas, including Sardasht in West Azerbaijan, as well as in Baneh and Marivan in the Kurdistan Province, heavy military equipment and IRGC special forces have been deployed, according to the Post's sources. The situation has severely disrupted the daily lives of border villages, and widespread restrictions on movement and local activities have been imposed.
With the complete shutdown of the internet and telephone services, for many Iranians, their only means of accessing news and information is currently satellite television, which is subject to heavy jamming in most cities. There have also been reports of security officials house-checking in cities such as Tehran and confiscating civilians' satellite dishes.
Varying estimates of death toll amid Iran protests
Other estimates of the death toll in Iran have been considerably higher than the one the Iranian official admitted to Reuters, but the true figure is unknown.
The US-based rights organization HRANA noted that as of Sunday, of the 646 people confirmed killed during the protests, 505 were active protesters, nine of whom were children. Additionally, 133 members of the military and law enforcement, one prosecutor, and seven non-protesting civilians have been killed. An additional 579 reported deaths are under review.
Other sources, such as Iran International, estimated that over 12,000 people have been killed during the protests in Iran, largely over the course of Thursday and Friday nights, describing the events as “the largest killing in Iran’s contemporary history.”
Authorities have detained at least 10,721 people since the start of the demonstrations, and 97 cases of forced confessions by detainees have been published by official or government-affiliated media, HRANA noted.
Also on Monday, Protesters gathered in Iran’s largest cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, chanting slogans such as “This year is the year of bloodshed, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown,” according to footage published online.
The term "Seyyed Ali" refers to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Additionally, there have been several reports of regime forces deliberately firing at protesters. One video released by HRANA shows an Iranian military officer standing on the back of a moving motorcycle and firing at a group of protesters in an alley. Several other officers later joined him.
The exact recording time of the video is unknown.
HRANA said the communications blackout has limited independent documentation of events, and all figures represent minimum verified estimates.
The protests, which began on December 28, continue despite the communications restrictions and rising casualties.