Iran's nationwide protests entered their second week with the confirmed death toll reaching 116 people and human rights monitors warning the actual figure could approach 200, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported on January 10.

HRANA said protesters and bystanders account for the majority of casualties, with 37 members of security forces also killed.

Seven of those confirmed dead were under 18 years old, whilst four victims including medical staff were not participating in demonstrations.

On January 11, opposition activist Ilia Hashemi wrote on social media “Security forces have taken control of all hospitals in Tehran and are searching for wounded individuals. When someone with fresh gunshot wounds arrives, they are immediately abducted, without any opportunity to receive medical treatment.”

The protests that began on December 28 have now documented 574 separate gatherings across 185 cities in all 31 provinces, according to data compiled by human rights organisations. More than 2,600 people have been arrested, with authorities identifying 628 individuals whilst another 2,010 remain unidentified or were detained in group arrests.

Demonstrations continued in Tehran, Shiraz and Zahedan on January 10 despite an intensified security presence and the deployment of surveillance drones over protest sites. Tehran witnessed scattered, short-duration gatherings as protesters adapted to heavy security force deployments, whilst Zahedan saw expanded military and security units stationed throughout the city.

Iran has maintained a near-total internet blackout since January 8, severely limiting independent verification of events.

The communications shutdown followed the peak of demonstrations on January 7, when 96 cities across 27 provinces reported protest activity.

State-affiliated media outlets have maintained limited internet access and are broadcasting footage characterising protesters as terrorists or armed elements.

Judicial and security officials have warned of severe punishments for demonstrators, continuing rhetoric that began earlier in the protest movement.

US President Donald Trump said on January 10 that Iran is "closer to freedom than ever before" and that America stands "ready to help."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials condemned the violent suppression of protests and demanded the release of detainees and full restoration of internet access.

The British government issued similar statements emphasising the right to peaceful protest.

Medical examiner reports indicate most civilian deaths resulted from military-grade bullets or shotgun pellets fired at close range, HRANA said. The casualty figures represent only confirmed cases, with rights groups noting that the communications blackout prevents comprehensive documentation of deaths and injuries.

Exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi has emerged as the most visible leader of the protest movement, so far, with demonstrators in multiple cities chanting his name and carrying pre-revolutionary flags bearing the lion and sun symbol.

His daily calls for coordinated protests at specific times have coincided with a sharp escalation in both the geographic spread and intensity of demonstrations.

The current wave represents the most significant challenge to the Islamic Republic's authority since the early 1980s, when the government simultaneously faced armed Marxist militias and an Iraqi invasion.

Previous protest movements in 2009, 2017, 2019 and 2022 were either leaderless or led by figures inside Iran who were eventually silenced through house arrest or imprisonment.

Tehran's Grand Bazaar merchants, whose strikes initially triggered the latest unrest, played a similar role in the 1979 revolution when they helped mobilise opposition to the monarchy. The bazaar sector's participation in current protests has drawn comparisons to that historical precedent.

The Iranian government faces mounting pressure from multiple crises including power outages, water shortages, currency depreciation with the rial trading above IRR1.46mn ($343) against the dollar, and inflation running at approximately 40%.