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Funerals in Iran for civilians and security forces killed during protests

Funerals in Iran for civilians and security forces killed during protests
By Tim Hume, Caolán Magee, Usaid Siddiqui and Stephen Quillen
Published On 15 Jan 2026

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15 Jan 2026 - 22:59
 (22:59 GMT)

Thanks for joining us

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To read more on the latest comments by the White House on the situation in Iran, go here.

For an overview of why a US strike on Iran remains a real threat, read our explainer here.

And watch our video for a timeline of how Iran’s deadly protest movement unfolded here.

15 Jan 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s events:

  • Antigovernment protests across Tehran have eased since Monday, when hundreds of thousands of people attended pro-government demonstrations.
  • Iran has reopened its airspace after a closure of nearly five hours that disrupted flights across the region and was imposed over concerns of possible military action.
  • The White House says “all options remain on the table” for the United States to take military action against Iran, reiterating that Tehran would face “grave consequences” if the killings of antigovernment protesters continue.
  • The US imposed new Iran-related sanctions, including targeting leaders it claims are involved in a “brutal crackdown”.
  • A commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the country’s armed forces are on high alert.
  • Canada’s minister of foreign affairs said she has been informed that a Canadian citizen has died in Iran “at the hands of the Iranian authorities”.
15 Jan 2026 - 22:43
 (22:43 GMT)

Iran envoy says ‘evoking humanitarian rhetoric’ cannot justify force

Iran envoy Gholamhossein Darzi has warned that any threat of military intervention against Iran would breach international law and urged the UNSC to reject such action “before it is too late”.

“Any threat [of the] use of force against Iran, under any pretext, including claims of protecting protesters or supporting the Iranian people, constitute a grave and manifest violation of international law and the UN charter,” the envoy said at the UNSC meeting. “Evoking humanitarian rhetoric to justify force [is] a deliberate abuse of international law.”

The UNSC, Darzi added, bears a “clear, moral, political and legal responsibility: to unequivocally reject and condemn such unlawful actions before it is too late”.

15 Jan 2026 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)
Houthi

Iran envoy says US trying to create ‘pretext’ for Iran intervention

Continuing his remarks to the UNSC, Iran’s deputy representative to the body, Gholamhossein Darzi, accused the US and Israel of trying to sow unrest in the country to make up for what he described as their failed objectives in the 12-day war last June.

“Unable to achieve their objectives through the 12-day war of aggression against Iran in June 2025, they now seek to pursue the same goals through political destabilisation, internal unrest and chaos,” said Darzi.

“This strategy relies on manufacturing casualties, spreading false and inflated figures and creating a pretext for foreign intervention,” he added. “It is a familiar script, one that has been used repeatedly from Iraq to Libya and to Venezuela.”

15 Jan 2026 - 22:30
 (22:30 GMT)

UN official warns threats of military action against Iran increase ‘volatility’

Earlier, UN Assistant Secretary-General told the UN Security Council that threats of military action against Iran, like those made by US President Donald Trump, were alarming.

“We note with alarm various public statements suggesting possible military strikes on Iran. This external dimension adds volatility to an already combustible situation,” Martha Pobee said during the emergency briefing, requested by the United States.

“All efforts must be undertaken to prevent any further deterioration.”

15 Jan 2026 - 22:20
 (22:20 GMT)
Houthi

Iran’s representative to UN accuses ISIL of perpetrating violence in the country

Iran’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Gholamhossein Darzi, has claimed that some violence targeting civilians and security personnel in Iran was carried out by ISIL (ISIS).

“I speak today on behalf of a nation in mourning,” the Iranian envoy told the UNSC. “I wish to express my deepest condolences and sympathy with a heavy and grieving heart to the brave people of my country and to the families of many victims.”

Darzi accused the US of directing “mercenaries” to carry out crimes in the country and accused Washington of perpetrating “lies … and deliberate misinformation to conceal” its “direct involvement”.

15 Jan 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)

WATCH: Who are Iran’s key leaders?

Watch our video to learn more about the Iranian leaders navigating everything from economic woes to the possibility of renewed US and Israeli attacks:

15 Jan 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)
Houthi

‘Clouds of war are gathering’ over Middle East, China says

China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations has warned that rising tensions around Iran risk pushing the Middle East towards conflict, calling on the United States to abandon threats of force and all parties to exercise restraint.

“The United States has continued to make statements on the situation in Iran, and has openly issued threats of the use of force against Iran”, Sun Lei told the UN Security Council. “As a result, clouds of war are gathering over the Middle East, and the tensions in the region continue to escalate.”

Reaffirming Beijing’s opposition to military action, the envoy said, “the use of force can never solve problems”.

“It will only make them more complex and intractable. Any military adventurism would only push the region toward an unpredictable, unpredictable abyss”, Lei stressed.

15 Jan 2026 - 21:46
 (21:46 GMT)
Houthi

‘Iranian authorities must protect their people, not brutalise them’, says UK envoy

The UK’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Archie Young, has harshly condemned Iran’s government for “repression and brutality” and paid tribute to Iranian protesters for “bravely voicing their aspirations to live in freedom and dignity.”

Speaking to the UNSC, Young said that the UK is “appalled by reports that potentially thousands of people in Iran have been killed and many more arrested, in the most brutal repression of public protests in decades.”

“Let me be clear: we condemn the regime’s actions in the strongest possible terms,” he said.

“Iranian authorities must protect their people, not brutalise them,” Young continued, adding that the UK would impose additional sanctions on Iran’s government if it did not “change course”.

15 Jan 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

US lashes out at South Africa for allowing Iran to participate in naval drills

The US has expressed “concern and alarm” that Iran took part in joint naval exercises off South Africa’s coast, calling its participation “unconscionable”.

The naval drills last week, held as part of the BRICS grouping of nations, included vessels from China, Iran, Russia and the UAE. But the US embassy in South Africa said Iran’s inclusion “undermines maritime security and regional stability”.

“It is particularly unconscionable that South Africa welcomed Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing, and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity South Africans fought so hard to gain for themselves,” said the US Embassy.

15 Jan 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)

Qatar PM tells Iran that Doha will support ‘all efforts’ aimed at ‘de-escalation’

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has spoken to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about the need for “peaceful” solutions for the region, Qatar News Agency is reporting.

“The call dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the means to enhance it, in addition to the latest developments in the regional and several issues of joint interest,” it added.

“During the call, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s support for all efforts aimed at de-escalation and the pursuit of peaceful solutions that strengthen security and stability in the region.”

15 Jan 2026 - 21:15
 (21:15 GMT)
Houthi

Russian envoy calls UNSC meeting ‘cheap circus’, says ‘hostile forces’ exploiting Iran unrest

Russia’s representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, has now addressed the UNSC about the situation in Iran.

He accused the US of trying “to escalate tensions and fuel hysteria around Iran” and turning today’s UNSC meeting, which Washington convened, into a “cheap circus”.

“Today’s meeting … is nothing more than another attempt to justify blatant aggression and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state,” said Nebenzia.

The Russian envoy said Moscow stands in “solidarity with the people of Iran and [mourns] all innocent victims”.

However, he said that “hostile foreign forces are seeking to exploit the current situation in order to overthrow a government they find objectionable and destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran as a sovereign and independent state.”

15 Jan 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

US’s requested UNSC meeting on Iran protests in progress

By Gabriel Elizondo

Reporting from UN headquarters in New York

This is a meeting that was requested by the United States just within the last 36 hours or so.

We’ve heard from an assistant secretary-general of the UN and peacebuilding affairs. She basically laid out the UN position … which is the position of the secretary-general, that peaceful protest should be allowed to continue without any sort of repression, and that any sort of executions of protesters should not happen.

We have also heard from anti-[Iranian] government activists who spoke to the council and were invited by the United States.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:50
 (20:50 GMT)
Developing

Iranian dissident claims Iranian government coercing protesters into false confessions

The UN Security Council has now heard from another Iranian activist, former prisoner Ahmad Batebi.

Batebi said Iranian authorities tortured him while he was in prison and forced him to publicly make false confessions of having been a US asset.

“Exactly the same situation we have in Iran right now,” he said, claiming “innocent people” are being coerced into false confessions.

“You saw a lot of bravery from the Iranian people over these last days, but it’s not enough,” he said.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)
Houthi

US’s Waltz: US, Trump ‘stand by’ Iranian protesters

“The level of violence that the Iranian regime has unleashed on its own people has repercussions for international peace and security,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said.

“This is our message: President Donald J Trump and the United States of America stand by the brave people of Iran,” he added, referring to those protesting against the regime.

Waltz went on to condemn the now week-long internet blackout imposed by the Iranian government, accusing it of deliberately trying to obscure what is happening on the ground.

He also called Iran the world’s number one sponsor of “terrorism”.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:35
 (20:35 GMT)

Iranian-American journalist speaks before UNSC in opposition to regime

Masih Alinejad, a reporter for Voice of America Persian News Network before it was shut down by an executive order from US President Donald Trump in March of 2025, is speaking now before the UN Security Council.

She said that “real and concrete” action is urgently needed from the international community against the Iranian regime to bring “justice” to those who were “massacred in Iran”.

“The secretary-general himself has not spoken publically agaisnt the massacre unfolding in Iran”, she said.

She said that the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot be reformed, and said that it should be treated like ISIL (ISIS) by the international community.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:24
 (20:24 GMT)
Houthi

UN Security Council begins meeting on situation in Middle East

The meeting, called at the request of the US, will deal with Iran and the mass protests it has experienced over the last weeks.

We’ll bring you more shortly.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:15
 (20:15 GMT)

Iran’s FM holds phone call with UN’s Guterres

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken with the UN secretary-general over the phone, the Foreign Ministry says in comments carried by semi-official Tasnim news agency.

In the call, Araghchi told Guterres that recent protests in the country began as peaceful gatherings of people expressing discontent over the country’s economic state, and escalated into violence due to “the intervention of terrorist elements”, an oft-repeated Iranian government line.

He directly accused Israel and the US of supporting the “terrorists”.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Guterres rejected foreign military intervention in any country, and stressed the importance of governments upholding respect for human rights.

At the US’s request, the UN Security Council will soon hold a meeting on the situation in Iran.

15 Jan 2026 - 20:00
 (20:00 GMT)

Switzerland calls in Iranian ambassador

Switzerland is the latest country to summon an Iranian ambassador in the wake of Iran’s deadly protest movement.

Switzerland summoned the Iranian ambassador to relay its “greatest concern” over Iran’s crackdown on protests, Monika Schmutz Kirgoz, head of the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and North Africa division, told public broadcaster RTS.

Earlier, as we reported, another Swiss Foreign Ministry official – Gabriel Lchinger – spoke by phone with the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani. During the call, Lchinger offered to help “de-escalate the current situation”, according to the ministry.

15 Jan 2026 - 19:45
 (19:45 GMT)

US sanctions Khamenei aide, other Iranian officials over protest crackdown

By Ali Harb

The United States has imposed new sanctions against Iran, targeting political and security officials over the crackdown on antigovernment protesters, amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene militarily against the country.

The US penalties on Tuesday targeted Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), and several other officials, who it said were the “architects” of Tehran’s “brutal” response to the demonstrations.

“The United States stands firmly behind the Iranian people in their call for freedom and justice,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

“At the direction of President Trump, the Treasury Department is sanctioning key Iranian leaders involved in the brutal crackdown against the Iranian people. Treasury will use every tool to target those behind the regime’s tyrannical oppression of human rights.”

The sanctions freeze the individuals’ assets in the US and make it illegal for American citizens to do business with them.

Read the full story here.

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) [Al Jazeera]