More than 500 protesters killed and 10,000 arrested amid unrest in Iran
The protests were sparked last week by soaring inflation, and have spread to more than 100 cities and towns across every province in Iran
More than 500 protesters are believed to have been killed and 10,000 people arrested during the ongoing unrest in Iran.
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The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) is reporting that 538 people have been killed as a result of protests across the Islamic Republic.
Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has blamed the protests on "terrorists" connected to foreign powers, which are looking to "sow chaos and disorder" by "ordering riots".
The state-run IRNA news agency is reporting that there will be "nationwide rallies" on Monday to denounce the protests.
The protests were sparked last week by soaring inflation, and have spread to more than 100 cities and towns across every province in Iran.
Protesters are now calling for an end to the clerical rule of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and have included chants in support of Iran’s pre-revolution leader.
Read more: 'Help is on the way': Republican Senator says Iran's 'long nightmare is soon coming to a close'
23-year-old fashion student Rubina Aminian has been named as one of hundreds killed in the regime's crackdown on protesters.
She was shot in the back of the head on the evening of Thursday, January 8, after leaving Shariati College in Tehran and joining protest gatherings.
Rubina has been described by those close to her as "a young woman full of joy for life and passionate about fashion and clothing design, whose dreams were buried by the violent repression of the Islamic Republic."
Members of her family travelled from Kermanshah to Tehran to identify her body, but, they were not allowed to take her body with them.
Sources close to the Aminian family told Iran Human Rights: “The family was taken to a location near the college where they were confronted with the bodies of hundreds of young people killed during the protests.
"Most of the victims were young people between 18 and 22 years old, who had been shot at close range in the head and neck by government forces. At first, the family was not allowed to identify Rubina’s body, and later they were not permitted to take her body with them.
"The family was forced to search among the bodies themselves to identify their daughter, and they undoubtedly saw many of the bodies of young people killed during the protests.
“After much struggle, Rubina’s family eventually managed to retrieve her body and return to Kermanshah. However, upon arrival, they found that intelligence forces had surrounded their home and that they were not allowed to bury her.”
Her mother said: “It wasn’t just my daughter; I saw hundreds of bodies with my own eyes."
Rubina's family were forced to bury her body along the road and they have not been permitted to hold any mourning ceremonies.
Iran’s attorney general has said anyone caught protesting, or even helping protesters, could be charged with being “an enemy of God” – which is punished with the death penalty.
The latest death toll comes as The Wall Street Journal reports that US President Donald Trump will be briefed on Tuesday about the response options.
According to US officials, this could include military strikes or sanctions.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, has suggested that any military action taken by America would be met with retaliation.
In a stark warning to the supreme leader, President Trump said the US would “hit them very hard” if the Iranian authorities continued to massacre protestors.
He wrote on Truth Social on Saturday evening: “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!”
Mr Trump also confirmed that US intelligence suggests the Iranian leader is planning to flee the country if protests continue.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Saturday evening that Iran's "long nightmare" is coming to an end and that "help is on the way".
The Senator for South Carolina took to social media to reaffirm that the United States supports the protests, adding that "protestors in Iran must prevail over the ayatollah".
Mr Graham added that the "bravery and determination to end your oppression" has been noticed by President Donald Trump and "all who love freedom".