Tehran, 14 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had suspended all talks with Iranian representatives until further notice and urged Iranians to keep protesting despite a crackdown, as rights groups warned the number of dead could have topped 2,500.

“Iranian patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that he had cancelled all meetings with Iranian officials until what he called the "senseless killing of protesters" stops.

He promised that "help is on its way," without elaborating on what form that support might take.

The comments came as Norway-based human rights organization Hengaw, which specializes on Iran, said at least 2,500 people have been killed since the protests broke out at the end of December.

The group noted that its verification team is working daily to document deaths linked to the state crackdown on mass protests.

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), which is also registered in Norway, put the number of demonstrators killed at at least 734, but warned the real toll could be significantly higher, even in the several thousands.

"Due to the complete internet shutdown since Thursday night and the severe restrictions on access to information, independent verification of these figures is currently extremely difficult," the IHRNGO report said.

Iranian authorities have not published official casualty figures. State media have portrayed those involved in the unrest as “rioters” or “terrorists” and reported that dozens of members of the security forces have also been killed.

The protests began in Tehran on December 28 as demonstrations by shopkeepers over a sharp fall in the value of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. They have since grown into a nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic’s authoritarian system, marking the most serious unrest in Iran in years.

Despite the communications blackout, more disturbing images emerged from the country on Tuesday. Activists and opposition figures have shared videos purporting to show rows of body bags laid out on the ground, said to contain protesters killed in the unrest.

The footage could not be independently verified but has fuelled fears that the violence has reached a new level of brutality.

Life under blackout

After days of being cut off from the outside world, Iranians were able to make phone calls abroad again on Tuesday, according to sources in Tehran, although the internet remained blocked.

Residents described a grim atmosphere, with one young man saying hundreds of dead and injured were being taken to hospitals each day. “The situation is not good,” he said. “We do not know what to do.”

Some information has reached the population through satellite television broadcasts from abroad, though security forces have begun confiscating satellite dishes from rooftops in parts of Tehran.

A small number of people have accessed the internet via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system, using terminals that must be imported illegally.

Residents of the capital city said the worst violence occurred overnight last Thursday and Friday, when Tehran was effectively under lockdown.

Demonstrations have since become smaller, and some semblance of normality has returned, though security forces remain heavily deployed at major intersections and public squares. Many families reported feeling anxious, angry or depressed after days of unrest and isolation.

International pressure mounts

On the international stage, pressure on Iran's hardline rulers has been mounting.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said the European Union was working on new punitive measures against Iran. "The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying," she wrote, condemning the "excessive use of force" and continued restrictions on freedom.

Germany and France summoned Iran’s ambassadors over what they described as a brutal crackdown, joining similar moves by the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Trump has also stepped up pressure on Iran in recent days.

On Monday, he said the United States would impose 25% tariffs on all countries that do business with Iran, a move that would affect major trading partners including China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

US media reported over the weekend that the administration was also weighing possible military strikes, among other options.

From exile, Iran’s former empress Farah Pahlavi called on the country’s armed forces to side with protesters “at this pivotal moment in Iran's history.”

Writing on X, she urged security personnel not to "tie your fate to that of the killers."

"Tomorrow's free Iran belongs to your children as well — do not ruin your own future and that of your family by shedding the blood of compatriots," wrote Pahlavi, who is the third wife and widow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Photo: dpa