Tehran

"This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue. The Iranian people and their demands for fairness, equality and justice must be heard," Volker Turk said.

Thousands killed and arrested as Iran’s protests intensify. The young generation backs Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and defies the collapsing theocracy.

Protesters gathered in Iran’s largest cemetery, Behesht-e Zahra, on Monday, chanting slogans such as “This year is the year of bloodshed, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown.”

Pahlavi could, and perhaps should, play a role in the process of establishing a new system of governance. But that decision, as it should be, rests in the hands of the Iranian people.

IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin reiterated that Israel sees the Iranian protests as an internal matter, stressing Israel's readiness for any potential Iranian attack.

US forces in the Middle East are ready for operations against Iran, as military plans move into advanced stages, an anonymous official told Al Jazeera.

HRANA estimated there were some 250 bodies at the facility, and published a video on X/Twitter that appears to show deceased people, in open body bags, lying in rows.

As protests in Iran escalate, Kurdish opposition groups, including PDKI, PAK, and PJAK, call for regime change, despite ongoing violence and a deadly crackdown on demonstrators.

According to political sources, the security establishment asked ministers to curb their remarks on the protests crackdown, out of concern that every word could within minutes become propaganda.

Sources estimate the number of people killed or injured in the thousands, including children and young demonstrators, while many others were arrested.