U.S.-based activist agency says it has verified 3,919 deaths from Iran protests

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S.-based activist agency said Sunday it has verified at least 3,919 deaths during a wave of protests that swept Iran and led to a bloody crackdown, and fears the number could be significantly higher.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency posted the revised figure, up from the previous toll of 3,308. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades, and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.

The agency has been accurate throughout the years of demonstrations in Iran, relying on a network of activists inside the country that confirms all reported fatalities. The Associated Press has been unable to independently confirm the toll.

READ MORE: What to know about the intensifying protests shaking Iran and putting pressure on its theocracy

Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the protests had left "several thousand" people dead — and blamed the United States for the deaths. It was the first indication from an Iranian leader of the extent of the casualties from the wave of protests that began Dec. 28 over Iran's ailing economy.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency says 24,669 protesters have been arrested in the crackdown.

Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest in the country.

Tension with the United States has been high, with U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatening Tehran with military action if his administration found the Islamic Republic was using deadly force against anti-government protesters.

WATCH: As Iran protesters face ruthless crackdown, Trump says help 'on its way'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post Sunday on X, blamed "longstanding enmity and inhumane sanctions" imposed by the U.S. and its allies for any hardships the Iranian people might be facing. "Any aggression against the Supreme Leader of our country is tantamount to all-out war against the Iranian nation," he wrote.

During the protests, Trump had told demonstrators that " help is on the way " and that his administration would "act accordingly" if the killing of demonstrators continued or if Iranian authorities executed detained protesters.

But he later struck a conciliatory tone, saying that Iranian officials had "canceled the hanging of over 800 people" and that "I greatly respect the fact that they canceled."

A family member of detained Iranian protester Erfan Soltani said Sunday that the 26-year-old is in good physical health and was able to see his family days after his planned execution was postponed.

Somayeh, a 45-year-old close relative of Soltani who is living abroad, told AP that his family had been told his execution would be set for Wednesday but it was postponed when they reached the prison in Karaj, a city northwest of Tehran.

READ MORE: Iran protest death toll spikes to at least 2,000, activists say

"I ask everyone to help in securing Erfan's freedom," Somayeh, who asked to be identified by first name only for fear of government reprisal, said in a video message.

On Saturday, Khamenei branded Trump a "criminal" for supporting the rallies and blamed the U.S. for the casualties, describing the protesters as "foot soldiers" of the United States.

Trump, in an interview with Politico on Saturday, called for an end to Khamenei's nearly 40-year reign, calling him as "a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people."

No protests have been reported for days in Iran, where the streets have returned to an uneasy calm. Instead, some Iranians chanted anti-Khamenei slogans from the windows of their homes on Saturday night, the chants reverberating around neighborhoods in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, witnesses said.

Authorities have also blocked access to the internet since Jan. 8. On Saturday, very limited internet services functioned again briefly. Access to some online services such as Google began working again on Sunday, although users said they could access only domestic websites, and email services continued to be blocked.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed.