The hacking comes as the death toll in a crackdown by authorities that smothered the demonstrations reached at least 3,941 people, activists said. The footage aired Sunday night across multiple channels broadcast by satellite from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, the country's state broadcaster. 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 U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll Monday to at least 3,941, warning it likely would go higher. Iranian officials have not given a clear death toll, although on Saturday, Khamenei said the protests had left “several thousand” people dead and blamed the United States for the deaths.

Source: ABC News January 19, 2026 12:46 UTC