Trump says Iran death toll over 30,000 while considering military strikes

“32,000 people were killed over a relatively short period of time,” Trump told reporters, saying, “I feel very badly for the people of Iran.”

The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C., estimated 7,015 deaths as of Feb. 15 and noted another 11,744 deaths are under review.

CBS News reported last month that as many as 20,000 people may have been killed during the protests in Iran, citing two sources, one of which is located inside Iran, where a near-total internet blackout has persisted for weeks.

Estimates from doctors based outside Iran range the death toll up to 33,000 or more, according to The Guardian.

Iran’s government said the death toll numbered 3,117 people as of Jan. 21.

Iran International, a news network opposed to the Iranian government, estimated late last month over 36,500 people had been killed.