Iran Protests: Death Toll Soars! Trump Considers SHOCKING Response?!

LONDON – The situation in Iran is growing more dire by the day. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a U.S.-based group, at least 646 people have been killed in the widespread anti-government protests that have rocked the country for over two weeks. That's a staggering number, and if accurate, paints a grim picture of the government's response.

Iran Protests: Death Toll Soars! Trump Considers S...

HRANA, citing data collected over those 16 days of unrest, also estimates that a shocking 10,721 people have been arrested. The protests have reportedly spread across 606 locations in 187 cities, touching all 31 Iranian provinces. Among the dead, HRANA reports, are 505 protesters and, tragically, nine children. It’s heartbreaking to think of the families impacted by this.

Now, it's important to note that HRANA relies on a network of activists both inside and outside Iran for its information. ABC News, like any responsible news organization, hasn’t been able to independently verify these figures. The Iranian government, unsurprisingly, hasn't released any official death toll related to the protests. In situations like these, getting accurate information is incredibly difficult, and we have to rely on these kinds of sources, while also remaining skeptical.

Iranian state media, on the other hand, claims that over 100 members of the security forces have been killed in the unrest. HRANA reports a slightly different figure, saying that 133 military and security personnel, along with one prosecutor, are among those killed. Either way, there's violence on both sides of this conflict.

Across the Atlantic, President Trump is taking a hard line. He announced Monday a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran, following repeated warnings to Tehran against using force to suppress the protests. "Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America," Trump stated in a social media post, adding, "This Order is final and conclusive." It's a pretty blunt instrument, and I wonder how effective it will really be.

And it doesn't stop there. Trump's national security team is scheduled to meet at the White House on Tuesday to discuss potential U.S. intervention options. A U.S. official told ABC News that new sanctions against key regime figures or against Iran's energy and banking sectors are under consideration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt even suggested that military options are still on the table. She stated that the president "is always keeping all of his options on the table and air strikes would be one of the many, many options on the table for the commander in chief. Diplomacy is always the first option for the president." Let's hope diplomacy really is the first option.

With the situation rapidly "escalating," the State Department has also urged Americans to leave Iran. The protests, which began with economic grievances over rising inflation and the declining value of the Iranian rial, have now taken on a more explicitly anti-government tone. The theocratic government in Tehran, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has responded with force, with security forces reportedly using tear gas and live ammunition to disperse gatherings. It's a volatile situation, to say the least.

Adding fuel to the fire, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the protests as a "terrorist war" while addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran. Meanwhile, dissident figures abroad have called on Iranians to take to the streets and overthrow the government. It's a powder keg, and it's hard to see how this ends well without further bloodshed.