Iran has witnessed massive protests against the regime for the past two weeks.
Activists say at least 203 people have died during the demonstrations.
Earlier, the President had said he was willing to "listen" to protestors, but warned strict action against rioters.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which relies on activists in Iran cross-checking information, offered the new death toll of 203 on January 11, 2026, Sunday. This is a large jump from the earlier reported figure of 116.
According to AP, of those killed, 162 are protesters and 41 are members of the security forces, it said. The HRANA also acknowledged receiving claims of far more deaths that it was still assessing as over 3,280 others have been arrested.
The group has offered accurate tolls in previous rounds of unrest in the Islamic Republic. The Iranian government has not offered any overall casualty figures for the demonstrations.
AP noted that it has been unable to independently assess the toll, as communications with Iran have been cut.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV mentioned Iran as a place "where ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives."
“I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society,” he said.
The revised death toll comes a day after Iranian officials warned its people that actively taking part in demonstrations would attract a death penalty charge. On Sunday, the Islamic republic's President further said he is open to listening to the protestors.
Speaking in an interview aired by Iranian state television, President Masoud Pezeshkian said he did not, however, have any sympathy for the rioters.
“People have concerns, we should sit with them and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns,” Pezeshkian said. “But the higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.”
The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to one dollar, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.
