HRANA, the US-based news arm of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), has emerged as a leading source for casualty and arrest figures from protests that began in late December 2025, reporting 2,615 deaths and 18,470 arrests. Its detailed breakdowns are widely cited, yet Iranian state media and other monitors offer markedly different tallies. An internet blackout and restricted access have made independent verification difficult, and HRANA declines to publish a comprehensive methodology or disclose in-country sources. These conflicting figures have contributed to heightened international tensions and diplomatic concern.
Who Is HRANA? The US-Based Agency Behind Iran Protest Death Toll Figures
A woman gestures during a mass funeral held outside the University of Tehran for at least 100 members of the security forces whom Iranian authorities said were killed during the recent nationwide protests [Getty Images]
HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency), a US-based reporting arm of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), has become a prominent and widely cited source for casualty and arrest figures from the recent nationwide protests in Iran. Competing tallies, internet restrictions and limited independent access have left the true scale of the unrest difficult to verify.
Overview of Recent Reporting
HRANA reported on Wednesday that 2,615 people had been killed in the protests that began on December 28, 2025, and that 18,470 people had been arrested across 617 demonstrations in 187 cities. The agency provided a detailed breakdown of the deaths it attributed to the unrest: 2,435 protesters, 153 members or affiliates of government or military forces, and 14 civilians who were not taking part in protests. By contrast, Iranian state television reported roughly 300 deaths, and Iran said more than 100 members of security forces had been killed. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) published a higher figure, reporting at least 3,428 protesters killed.
Verification Challenges
An ongoing internet blackout that entered its eighth day, as reported by monitoring group NetBlocks, and restricted on-the-ground access have complicated independent verification of casualty and arrest figures. Al Jazeera and other international outlets have said they cannot independently confirm the various tallies. These discrepancies have become a focal point in international coverage and diplomatic exchanges.
Background: HRANA and HRAI
According to its website, HRANA is the news agency affiliated with Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), formed in 2005. HRAI says it originally focused on political prisoners, assisting victims’ families, documenting abuses and conducting public education in Iran. The organisation reports it registered legally inside Iran by March 2010, publicly disclosed its leaders and later experienced a severe crackdown on March 2–3, 2010, after which it registered as a US nonprofit and expanded its use of technology and recruitment of skilled personnel.
Transparency, Methodology and Sources
HRANA publishes names, photos and other details for many of the people it says were arrested or killed. However, the agency and its HRAI parent decline to disclose the identities of in-country sources, specific corroboration methods or funding details for security reasons. An Al Jazeera spokesperson said HRANA confirmed data with primary sources but would not reveal contacts inside Iran. HRANA's website does not publish a detailed, public methodology for how figures are collected and cross-checked.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: "I certainly deny the numbers and figures they have said. It is an exaggeration, it is a misinformation campaign, only to find excuses, only to do another aggression against Iran."
Past Reporting and Discrepancies
HRANA has previously published casualty and arrest figures for other major events. During the 12-day June 13–24, 2025 conflict between Iran and Israel, HRANA reported 1,190 deaths and 4,475 injuries in Iran, while Iran's Ministry of Health reported 610 deaths and 4,746 injuries. In the 2022 protests after the death of Mahsa Amini, HRANA reported about 200 deaths and roughly 5,500 arrests — a figure that aligned with a December 2022 statement from Iran's state security council on overall fatalities since September of that year.
International Implications
Disputed casualty figures have heightened international tensions amid sharp rhetoric, troop posture adjustments and diplomatic exchanges. US statements about possible military responses, and subsequent clarifications, as well as movements of personnel at regional bases, have added to concerns about escalation as the international community seeks reliable, verifiable information.
Bottom line: HRANA is a widely cited source for casualty and arrest figures in Iran's recent unrest, but major discrepancies between its counts, other monitors and official Iranian figures — compounded by internet blackouts and limited access — mean independent verification remains challenging.
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