The Iranian government continued its crackdown on protests that have swept the nation despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of action over mounting fatalities.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that 2,571 people had been killed from late December through Wednesday, up from about 500 at the start of the week. Demonstrations remain difficult to track amid an internet shutdown in Iran, and some observers say the actual toll could be significantly higher.

What footage Iranians have managed to post on social media suggests unrest continued in small gatherings overnight and people chanted anti-regime slogans from their homes. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, said Iran’s nationwide blackout had entered its sixth day, choking off most communications and making it difficult to document or track events during the violent unrest.

Trump on Tuesday urged Iranians to continue protesting against the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “take over your institutions if possible,” adding that he would “act accordingly” once he assesses how many demonstrators have been killed.

The U.S. leader earlier addressed the Iranian people in a Truth Social post, saying “HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” without specifying what he meant. That came after he announced a 25% tariff on goods from countries doing business with the Islamic Republic.

On Wednesday, one official in the region said to Bloomberg there had been some movement of U.S. personnel in Qatar, without elaborating. They asked not to be name discussing private information. Reuters reported some personnel were advised to leave the U.S.’s Al Udeid Air Base on the outskirts of the Qatari capital.

Gulf Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have been lobbying Washington against a strike on Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bloomberg has reported that those countries and others such as the United Arab Emirates are wary of becoming embroiled in a regional conflict that might result from a U.S. attack on Iran.

Iran has warned it could strike U.S. and Israeli assets if it’s attacked.

Oil prices have risen on the heightened tensions. Brent crude is up for a fifth day to over $66 a barrel, rising over 10% in that period.

The Iranian protests erupted late last year after the rial, the national currency, plunged to record lows, worsening a cost-of-living crisis. Traders in Tehran were among the first to demonstrate. The unrest quickly escalated into a broader movement against Khamenei’s theocratic rule, resulting in clashes and Tehran’s deadliest crackdown on dissent in decades.

Tehran has, without providing evidence, accused the U.S. and Israel of arming protesters and orchestrating unrest on the ground, seven months after the two allies conducted heavy airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

On Wednesday, Iran’s prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned the state would tighten its crackdown by seizing the assets of “terrorists and rioters.” Judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei said that “those who beheaded people in the streets or burned people alive must be tried and punished as quickly as possible.”

Officials have said citizens could face jail time and be barred from public services for sharing content online with “foreign and hostile networks,” according to a statement broadcast on national television.

The state-affiliated Student News Network appeared to be assisting a campaign targeting businesses that allegedly backed the protests. In a Telegram post on Wednesday addressed to judicial and law enforcement officials, the platform published screenshots from social media posts by several cafes, an ice cream parlor and a shopping mall that it said encouraged participation in the protests.

Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported Wednesday that internet restrictions could remain in place “until the actions of terror cells subside,” and speculated that authorities would make a final decision on broader access within the next week or two.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is offering Starlink free in Iran, according to Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of the U.S. group Holistic Resilience, which works with Iranians to secure internet access.

Still, the number of Starlink terminals in the country — which users need to access the company’s services — is thought to be small.

HRANA said more than 18,000 people have been detained in Iran in connection with the protests. Officials have warned that people could be charged with “enmity against God,” a broadly defined offense under Islamic law punishable by death.

Authorities used similar charges to execute at least nine individuals in connection with 2022 protests over the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, according to London-based Amnesty International.

Those were the most recent major demonstrations in Iran.

Iran’s state TV reported that a public funeral for more than 300 civilians and security personnel who died in recent days was scheduled in Tehran on Wednesday. No breakdown of fatalities was given, and while authorities have refused to release official casualty figures, they said the toll has been “considerable.”

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