INTERNATIONAL — February 25, 2026

Trump Claims Iran Killed 32,000 Protesters in Recent Demonstrations

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed in his congressional address that Iran killed 32,000 protesters in recent unrest, a figure contested by Iran's foreign minister who cited 3,317 deaths while rights groups reported over 7,000.

The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Hasht-e Subh2 min read

Trump Claims Iran Killed 32,000 Protesters in Recent Demonstrations
Image courtesy Hasht-e Subh

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed during his annual address to Congress that Iran killed 32,000 protesters during recent unrest.

Trump made the statement on Tuesday, February 24, adding that U.S. threats against Iran had prevented further executions of demonstrators.

Iran's president had previously referenced the death of 32,000 protesters, but Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi challenged the figure. Araqchi stated that 3,317 people were killed in the recent protests and demanded evidence for the higher number.

Iranian human rights organizations have reported more than 7,000 deaths in the same protests.

Trump emphasized that the United States would not hesitate to respond to threats against it, directing the remarks toward Iran.

Read the original reporting at Hasht-e Subh

Reliability assessment

Single source provides direct, on-record attribution to Trump's congressional speech (concrete event, date, and claim) and quotes from named Iranian officials (president, Araqchi) with specific numbers; human rights groups' figure is attributed institutionally.

The source language reads straight.

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InternationalDonald Trump, Iran protests, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, Human rights

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