Iran: Death Toll in Iran Reportedly Over 12,000 as Trump Urges Regime Change, Witkoff Meets Crown Prince

More than 12,000 people are feared to have been killed in Iran after over two weeks of nationwide anti-government protests, according to sources with access to information from inside the country who spoke with CBS on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump urges Iranians to overthrow the regime.

With limited phone access partially restored after days of a government-imposed communications blackout, two sources – including one inside Iran – told CBS that the death toll is believed to be at least 12,000 and could reach as high as 20,000. Activist networks compiling figures from hospitals and medical officials across Iran say earlier estimates significantly understated the scale of the crackdown.

When asked to clarify what he meant by saying ‘help was on the way,’ Trump refused to comment.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff held a discreet meeting over the weekend with exiled former Iranian crown prince Reza Pahlavi to discuss Iran’s ongoing anti-regime protests, according to a report by Axios.

Confirming the true toll has proven difficult as Iran’s rulers cut off internet and phone services nationwide for five days. While some calls from inside Iran were possible Tuesday, outside callers were still unable to reach the country.

CBS’ Iranian source also said that security forces have been visiting private hospitals in Tehran, pressuring staff to provide the names and addresses of people treated for protest-related injuries.

The death toll, if accurate, would far exceed those released by most activist groups to date, though those groups have consistently warned their counts are incomplete.

Iran International, an opposition television network, reported Tuesday that its information also pointed to roughly 12,000 deaths.

Iran itself has released death figures. Reuters cited an unnamed Iranian official as saying about 2,000 people had been killed since protests began December 28, blaming the violence on foreign-backed “terrorists” and claiming agitators were paid to incite unrest, without providing and evidence.

Video posted online Tuesday showing hundreds of bodies piled at a morgue in a Tehran suburb. The footage appears to show forensic workers documenting severe injuries as families searched for missing relatives.

The 16-minute video was first shared by an Iranian activist and blogger known as Vahid Online, who said it was sent by a source who traveled roughly 600 miles to upload it during the communications blackout. The video shows bodies bearing what appear to be gunshot wounds and shotgun pellet injuries, as well as piles of blood-stained clothing.

The protests erupted in late December over rising living costs in Iran’s sanctions-hit economy but quickly spread to all 31 provinces, with demonstrators openly calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic.

Even the lower casualty figures cited by British officials, if confirmed, would exceed any officially reported death toll from anti-regime protests since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As the unrest escalates, President Donald Trump repeatedly warned Iran’s leadership against killing protesters. On Tuesday, he issued one of his most direct appeals yet for mass civil resistance.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump wrote on social media.

The White House has not detailed what assistance may follow. Trump’s national security team was scheduled to meet Tuesday to review options, according to officials familiar with the discussions. Pentagon officials told CBS News the president has been briefed on a range of military and covert measures beyond conventional airstrikes.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, head of the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, said the crackdown appears far worse than previously understood.

“The information that we are receiving shows that the violent crackdown [against] the protests has probably been much worse than we can even imagine,” he said, adding that the international community’s “red lines have been crossed.”

Iran’s internet and messaging services remained largely blocked Tuesday following the blackout imposed January 8, after exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged Iranians to rise up. Iranian officials continue to claim the protests were directed from abroad; a narrative activists say is broadly rejected inside the country.