Iranian authorities have reportedly killed over 4,000 people and detained more than 26,000 during a crackdown on anti-Khamenei protests, according to a US-based rights group. Demonstrators formed the majority of deaths. Iranian state TV was briefly hacked to air Reza Pahlavi’s message urging people to protest against the Khamenei regime. Rising tensions have triggered nuclear concerns.

Tehran: Over 4,000 people have reportedly been killed so far in a crackdown by Iranian authorities on anti-Ayatollah Khamenei demonstrations. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, more than 26,000 people have been detained in the crackdown as well.

Out of the total deaths, 3,786 were reportedly demonstrators, 180 security forces, 28 children and 35 were people not demonstrating. The human rights agency claimed that more than 26,000 people have been detained in the crackdown as well.

Iran has been blaming the United States for the protests. So far, Iranian officials have not given a clear number of deaths due to the protests. However, on Saturday, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei had said that thousands of people died in the ongoing protests, which began on December 28.

Key Developments:

Reza Pahlavi's message aired after Iranian TV hacked:

On Sunday night (local time), the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting's (IRIB's) all channels were reportedly hacked for around 10 minutes. During this period, pictures of the Iranian National Revolution and messages from exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi were telecast.

In the viral videos, Pahlavi could be seen urging the people of Iran to rise against the Khamenei government. "At 9:30 PM Tehran time, all channels belonging to the regime’s state broadcaster (IRIB) were hacked. Footage from the Iran uprising and messages from Prince Reza Pahlavi aired nationwide for 10 minutes," the exiled Iranian crowned prince said in an X post, while confirming the incident.

Nuclear risks:

In the wake of tensions between the United States and Iran over the crackdown on protests by the Khamenei regime, analysts have warned that the effect of internal crisis in Tehran on the Iranian theocracy could lead to the risk of nuclear proliferation, reported The Associated Press.

Trump's warning to Khamenei:

In recent days, the US seemed to have been moving away from the thought of carrying out military strikes against Iran, but on Saturday, US President Donald Trump called for an end to Khamenei's 40-year-old regime.

US military deployment:

A US aircraft carrier, which days earlier had been in the South China Sea, passed Singapore overnight to enter the Strait of Malacca, putting it on a route that could bring it to the Middle East.

Iran's FM withdraws from Davos:

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had his invitation to speak at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, withdrawn over the killings.

"Although he was invited last fall, the tragic loss of lives of civilians in Iran over the past few weeks means that it is not right for the Iranian government to be represented at Davos this year," the forum said.