Iran rights group warns of 'mass killing', govt calls counter-protests

Iranian authorities have committed a "mass killing" in cracking down on the biggest protests against the Islamic republic in years, a rights group said Sunday, as the government ordered counter-rallies in a bid to regain the initiative.

The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said it had confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters but warned the actual death toll could already amount to several hundreds, or even more. The IHR has an extensive network of sources in the country.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have evolved into a movement against the theocratic system in place in Iran since the 1979 revolution. They have already lasted two weeks.

The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel's 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 72 hours, according to monitor Netblocks. Activists have warned that the shutdown is limiting the flow of information and that the actual toll risks being far higher.

"Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed," said IHR. It denounced a "mass killing" and a "major international crime against the people of Iran".

A video whose location was authenticated by AFP on Sunday showed dozens of bodies accumulating outside a morgue south of Tehran.

The footage, geolocated to be from the morgue in Kahrizak just south of the Iranian capital, showed bodies wrapped in black bags on the ground outside, with what appeared to be grieving relatives searching for loved ones.

Rights groups have already drawn attention to the footage from Kahrizak, with IHR saying it "shows a large number of people killed during the nationwide protests in Iran".

- 'National resistance battle' -

President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the arch-foes of Iran of "trying to escalate this unrest" and bringing "terrorists from abroad into the country", in an interview broadcast Sunday with state media.

State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel, with authorities saying members of the security forces have been killed.

There were fewer videos on social media showing protests Sunday after three days of mass actions, but it was not clear to what extent this was due to the internet shutdown.

One widely shared video showed protesters again gathering in the Pounak district of Tehran shouting slogans in favour of the ousted monarchy.

State television was at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic. Tehran governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that "the number of protests is decreasing".

The Iranian government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning for "martyrs" including members of the security forces killed, state television said.

The government described the fight against what it has termed "riots" as an "Iranian national resistance battle against America and the Zionist regime", using the clerical leadership's term for Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognise.

Pezeshkian urged people to join a "national resistance march" of nationwide rallies Monday to denounce the violence, which the government said had been committed by "urban terrorist criminals", state television reported.

More than 2,600 protesters have been arrested since the beginning of the demonstrations, according to estimates by IHR.

- Paralysis in Tehran -

Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's ousted shah, who has played a prominent role in calling for the protests, said he was prepared to return to the country and lead a transition to a democratic government.

"I'm already planning on that," he told Fox News on Sunday.

Videos of large demonstrations in the capital Tehran and other cities over the past three nights have filtered out despite the internet cut, which has disabled normal communication with the outside world via messaging apps or even phone lines.

In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis.

The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and many shops are closed. Those that do open must close at around 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm, when security forces deploy en masse.

US President Donald Trump has voiced support for the protests and threatened military action against Iranian authorities "if they start killing people".

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would hit back if the US launched military action, with the US military and shipping "legitimate targets" he said in comments broadcast by state TV.