About 1,500 people were killed during recent unrest in Iran, Reuters reports, citing three Iranian Interior Ministry officials.
The toll is significantly higher than the US estimation of over 1,000 killed, and Amnesty International, which put the toll at some 300.
According to the report, security forces brutally cracked down on the gasoline price protests in November after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered them to do whatever necessary to quell the demonstrations.
Iranian protesters block a road during a demonstration against an increase in gasoline prices in the central city of Shiraz on November 16, 2019. (AFP)
“The Islamic Republic is in danger. Do whatever it takes to end it. You have my order,” Khamenei told a meeting of advisers, according to one source.
“Our imam only answers to God. He cares about people and the Revolution. He was very firm and said those rioters should be crushed,” another source tells the news agency, referring to Khamenei.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 23, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
