European Intelligence: Millions Protest Nationwide as Iran Faces Deadliest Crackdown

A European diplomat, citing shared intelligence assessments, said at least 1.5 million people took to the streets in Tehran on Thursday, January 8.

According to the diplomat, participation declined on Friday, January 9, as security forces were deployed in large numbers across the capital and, in many instances, opened fire as crowds began to form, killing protesters en masse. Despite the intense violence, intelligence estimates suggest that as many as 500,000 people were still present on the streets of Tehran on Friday.

Reliable figures from other cities remain difficult to verify due to the lack of foreign diplomatic missions outside the capital, as all embassies are based in Tehran. However, intelligence assessments indicate that at least 5 million people participated in protests nationwide over the two days, Thursday and Friday.

The demonstrations were met with what is described as the deadliest crackdown in Iran’s contemporary history. Intelligence sources estimate that at least 12,000 people were killed, with the majority of the deaths occurring over two consecutive nights on January 8 and 9.