Death toll in Iran’s crackdown rises above 7,000

Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests last month has killed at least 7,002 people, activists reported Thursday, with many more feared dead. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which relies on local networks to verify deaths, has been accurate in prior unrest counts. The gradual rise in fatalities reflects challenges in communication within Iran, where authorities have restricted internet access and international calls. Iran’s government reported 3,117 deaths on January 21, but has historically undercounted fatalities during unrest. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the latest figures. The rising death toll coincides with ongoing US-Iran negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Senior Iranian security official Ali Larijani met in Qatar with Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as well as Hamas officials, and in Oman with Tehran-backed Houthi rebels. Larijani said Iran received no concrete US proposal, though messages were exchanged. Qatar, which shares a major offshore gas field with Iran, has played a key mediating role. Meanwhile, the US has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with ships and warplanes, to the Middle East to pressure Iran and maintain strike capability. US forces recently shot down an Iranian drone near the Lincoln and aided a US-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump told Axios a second carrier may be sent, stating, “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.” Rising tensions continue amid Iran’s domestic unrest and international pressure.