Late December 2025 – Protests erupt in Tehran’s bazaars over soaring inflation, quickly spreading to more than 100 cities and marking the largest sustained challenge to the regime since the 2022 Mahsa Amini uprising [12].

8 January 2026 – Exiled crown‑prince Reza Pahlavi urges nationwide demonstrations; thousands flood the streets and security forces open fire, creating the deadliest protest nights of the crackdown [3].

8‑9 January 2026 – Security forces launch a coordinated live‑fire operation ordered by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killing at least 3 117 people according to official figures and over 7 000 according to HRANA, while “Death to America” and “Death to Khamenei” chants echo from rooftops [1][13].

9 January 2026 – Mortuary photos from Kahrizak Forensic Medical Centre later reveal 326 victims, many dated 9 January, underscoring the scale of the night‑long bloodshed [4].

10 January 2026 – Activist Vahid films inside the Kahrizak mortuary, capturing at least 186 bodies in a five‑minute clip and describing the scene as “the apocalypse” [6].

11 January 2026 – HRANA reports 116 protester deaths, 38 security‑force deaths and 2 638 arrests across 185 cities as the crackdown intensifies [12].

12 January 2026 – Kahrizak’s makeshift morgue holds roughly 250 bodies, families crowd the courtyard seeking identification while state media blames “rioters” for the deaths [10].

14 January 2026 – Tehran mortuary videos released by BBC Verify show nearly 200 bodies with visible wounds, confirming the “hundreds” of dead claim and highlighting victims as young as 16 [6].

15 January 2026 – Families are forced to pay exorbitant sums—up to 1 billion tomans—to retrieve protesters’ bodies, prompting some to break into mortuaries and hide the remains themselves [5].

17 January 2026 – Kurdish taxi driver Farzat recounts live‑bullet fire in Karaj that left three dead in minutes and notes “80‑plus” bodies arrived at a local hospital that night [9]; the same day, Robina Aminian’s mother spends seven hours searching morgue bags before burying her daughter in an unmarked grave [14].

18 January 2026 – Surgeon Nima works nonstop for 96 hours after the 8 January attacks, loading wounded protesters into his car and operating without sleep to save lives [2].

21 January 2026 – Leaked photographs from Kahrizak identify 326 victims, with over 100 stamped “9 January,” reinforcing independent death‑toll estimates that far exceed official numbers [4].

26 January 2026 – Verified footage shows rooftop snipers in Mashhad, protesters disabling CCTV cameras, and mass bodies in Tehranpars hospital mortuary, illustrating both armed repression and civilian resistance [3].

28 January 2026 – Protesters in Isfahan evade hospitals for fear of arrest; a doctor treats bird‑shot wounds at a private home, while medics risk detention for providing clandestine care [2].

3 February 2026 – Thousands gather at Tehran’s Behesht‑e Zahra cemetery for 40‑day memorials, bringing sweets and flowers while fearing state retaliation; hyper‑inflation fuels daily despair, and some attribute the protests to President Trump’s early‑January pledges of support [8].

18 February 2026 – A security official opens fire from an armored vehicle on mourners at a 40‑day commemoration in Abdanan cemetery, killing and scattering the crowd despite state media’s claim of a peaceful event [1].

19 February 2026 – Iranians resume defiant rooftop chants during 40‑day memorials, while U.S. aircraft carriers position near Iran and diplomats continue nuclear talks; protesters cite “death to the dictator” slogans and express hope for U.S. strikes to end the violence [13].