https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-rounds-up-thousands-mass-arrest-campaign-after-crushing-unrest-sources-say-2026-01-29/ Skip to main content Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals Learn more aboutRefinitiv * World Browse World + Africa + Americas + Asia Pacific + China + Europe + India + Israel and Hamas at War + Japan + Middle East + Ukraine and Russia at War + United Kingdom + United States + Reuters NEXT New York * Business Browse Business + Aerospace & Defense + Autos & Transportation + Davos + Energy + Environment + Finance + Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals + Media & Telecom + Retail & Consumer + Future of Health + Future of Money + Take Five + World at Work * Markets Browse Markets + On the Money + Asian Markets + Carbon Markets + Commodities + Currencies + Deals + Emerging Markets + ETFs + European Markets + Funds + Global Market Data + Rates & Bonds + Stocks + U.S. Markets + Wealth + Econ World * Sustainability Browse Sustainability + Boards, Policy & Regulation + Climate & Energy + Land Use & Biodiversity + Society & Equity + Sustainable Finance & Reporting + The Switch + Reuters Impact + COP30 * Legal Browse Legal + Government + Legal Industry + Litigation + Transactional + US Supreme Court * Commentary Browse Commentary + Breakingviews + ROI: Reuters Open Interest * Technology Browse Technology + Artificial Intelligence + Cybersecurity + Space + Disrupted * Investigations * More Sports + Athletics + Baseball + Basketball + Cricket + Cycling + Formula 1 + Golf + NFL + NHL + Soccer + Tennis + Winter Olympics Science Lifestyle City Memo Graphics Pictures Wider Image Podcasts + Reuters World News + Reuters Morning Bid + Reuters Econ World + On Assignment + Viewsroom + The Big View Live Fact Check Video Sponsored Content + Reuters Plus + Press Releases My News Register Iran rounds up thousands in mass arrest campaign after crushing unrest, sources say By Parisa Hafezi January 29, 20262:37 PM UTCUpdated January 29, 2026 * * * * * * * * A billboard with a picture of Iran's flag, on a building in Tehran A billboard with a picture of Iran's flag, on a building in Tehran, Iran, January 24, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab * Summary * Plainclothes forces raid homes across country, put detainees in secret lockups, activists say * Two Iranian officials confirm widespread security dragnet after unrest snuffed out * Campaign aimed at deterring any return to street protests, activists say * Clerical rulers under rising external pressure, with Trump threatening strikes to inspire protesters DUBAI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Plainclothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests after crushing the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sources told Reuters. Modest protests that began last month in Tehran's Grand Bazaar over economic hardship unleashed long-suppressed wider grievances and swiftly escalated into the gravest existential threat to Iran's Shi'ite theocracy in nearly five decades, with protesters commonly calling for ruling clerics to step down. Sign up here. Authorities cut internet access and stifled the unrest with overwhelming force that killed thousands, according to rights groups. Tehran blames "armed terrorists" linked to Israel and the United States for the violence. Within days, plainclothes security forces launched a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints, according to five activists who spoke on condition of anonymity from inside Iran. They said detainees had been placed in secret lockups. "They are arresting everyone," one of the activists said. "No one knows where they are being taken or where they are being held. With these arrests and threats, they are trying to inject fear into society." Similar accounts were given to Reuters by lawyers, medics, witnesses and two Iranian officials speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid retribution by security services. They said the roundups appeared aimed at preventing any serious revival of protests by spreading fear just as the clerical establishment faces rising external pressure. Uncertainty over the possibility of military action against the Islamic Republic has lingered since U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that an "armada" was heading toward the country but that he hoped he would not have to use it. On Wednesday, however, he doubled down on his threats by demanding Iran negotiate curbs on its nuclear programme, warning that any future U.S. attack would be "far worse" than one day of airstrikes last June on three nuclear sites. Multiple Western and Middle Eastern sources told Reuters this week that Trump is weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces and leaders to inspire protesters, although Israeli and Arab officials said air power alone would not topple the clerical establishment. ROUNDED UP FOR PROTESTS IN PREVIOUS YEARS One of the activists said security forces were detaining not only people accused of involvement in the latest unrest but also those arrested during protests in previous years, "even if they had not participated this time, plus members of their families". The latest death toll compiled by the U.S.-based HRANA rights group stands at 6,373 - 5,993 protesters, 214 security personnel, 113 under-18s and 53 bystanders. Arrests stand at 42,486, according to HRANA. Judiciary officials have warned that "those committing sabotage, burning public property and involved in armed clashes with security forces" could face death sentences. The U.N. human rights office told Reuters on Thursday it understood that the number of detainees was very high and they were at risk of torture and unfair trials. Mai Soto, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Iran, said the thousands of detainees included doctors and healthcare workers. UNOFFICIAL DETENTION CENTRES, THOUSANDS OF ARRESTS Two Iranian officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Reuters that thousands of arrests had been carried out in the past few days. They said many detainees were being held in unofficial detention sites, "including warehouses and other improvised locations", and the judiciary was acting quickly to process cases. Iranian authorities declined to comment publicly on the number of arrests, or say where the detainees were being held. Authorities said on January 21 that 3,117 were killed in the unrest, including 2,427 civilians and security personnel. Amnesty International reported on January 23 that "sweeping arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, bans on gatherings and attacks to silence families of victims mark the suffocating militarisation imposed in Iran by the Islamic Republic's authorities in the aftermath of protest massacres". Arrests are continuing across the sprawling country, from small towns to the capital, witnesses and activists said. "They arrested my brother and my cousin a few days ago," said a resident of northwestern Iran who asked not to be named. "They stormed our home in plainclothes, searched the entire house, and took all the laptops and mobile phones. They warned us that if we make this public, they will arrest all of us." FAMILIES FRANTIC OVER MISSING YOUNG PEOPLE More than 60% of Iran's 92 million people are under the age of 30. Although the latest protests were snuffed out, clerical rulers will eventually risk more demonstrations if the heavy repression persists, according to rights activists. Three Iranian lawyers told Reuters that dozens of families had approached them in recent days seeking help for relatives who had been detained. "Many families are coming to us asking for legal assistance for their detained children," one lawyer said. "Some of those arrested are under 18 - boys and girls." Human rights groups have long said Iranian security organs use informal detention sites during periods of serious unrest, holding detainees without access to lawyers or family members for extended periods. Five doctors told Reuters that protesters wounded during protests had been removed from hospitals by security forces and dozens of doctors had been summoned by authorities or warned against helping injured demonstrators. Prison authorities denied holding wounded protesters. Families of five detainees said the lack of information about their whereabouts itself had become a form of punishment. "We don't know where they are, whether they are still alive, or when we'll see them," said an Iranian man whose daughter was rounded up. "They took my child as if they were arresting a terrorist." Writing by Parisa Hafezi; additional reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; editing by Mark Heinrich Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Middle East * Human Rights * * * * * Purchase Licensing Rights Read Next * agoMiddle Eastcategory Gaza's Rafah crossing with Egypt to reopen on Sunday, Israel says A gate at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in Rafah * agoMiddle Eastcategory Exclusive: US slows transfers of Islamic State detainees to Iraq, sources say Syrian security forces outside al-Aqtan prison, where some Islamic State detainees are held, in Raqqa * agoMiddle Eastcategory Syrian government, Kurds agree integration deal, US hails 'historic milestone' Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) queue to settle their status with Syrian government in Raqqa * agoMiddle Eastcategory MSF says it will not share staff details demanded by Israel to access Gaza City of Tine in the eastern Chad * agoWorldcategory US changes leadership of Gaza mission amid uncertainty over role Tent camp sheltering Palestinians displaced by the Israeli offensive, in Khan Younis * agoLegalcategory Exclusive: Carlyle in talks with potential UAE partners on Lukoil assets, sources say Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) LSEG Workspace World * Illustration shows L3harris Technologies logo L3Harris wins US Navy deal for Marine Corps precision-strike program Businesscategory * January 30, 2026 * 10:41 PM UTC * ago Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies said on Friday it had secured a U.S. Navy deal to develop Red Wolf vehicles for the Marine Corps' precision-strike program. * A U.S. Navy Landing Craft Utility (LCU) unloads a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) as sailors guide it ashore during amphibious operations in Arroyo Middle EastcategoryUS OKs potential sale of Joint Light Tactical Vehicle to Israel for $1.98 billion, Pentagon says 10:38 PM UTC * [OUJSRLLMWROLFPUG7CSMONJP2U] WorldcategoryScenes from the nationwide anti-ICE protests 10:14 PM UTC * Reuters' template to be used in breaking news scenarios United StatescategoryUS says 9th motorist killed in crash with faulty replacement air bag 10:12 PM UTC * U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, at the White House WorldcategoryUS to add 65,000 seasonal guest worker visas for 2026 9:56 PM UTC Site Index Latest * Home * Authors * Topic Sitemap * Archive * Article Sitemap Media * Videos * Pictures * Graphics * Podcasts Latest * Home * Authors * Topic Sitemap * Archive * Article Sitemap Browse * World * Business * Markets * Sustainability * Legal * Breakingviews * Technology * Investigations * Sports * Science * Lifestyle Media * Videos * Pictures * Graphics * Podcasts About Reuters * About Reuters, opens new tab * Media Center, opens new tab * Advertise with Us, opens new tab * Careers, opens new tab * Reuters News Agency, opens new tab * Brand Attribution Guidelines, opens new tab * Reuters and AI, opens new tab * Reuters Leadership, opens new tab * Reuters Fact Check * Reuters Diversity Report, opens new tab * Commercial Disclosure (Japan), opens new tab Stay Informed * Download the App (iOS), opens new tab * Download the App (Android), opens new tab * Newsletters * Subscribe Information you can trust Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Follow Us * * * * * * LSEG Products * Workspace, opens new tab Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. * Data Catalogue, opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. * World-Check, opens new tab Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. * Advertise With Us, opens new tab * Advertising Guidelines * Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab * Cookies, opens new tab * Terms & Conditions * Privacy, opens new tab * Copyright, opens new tab * Digital Accessibility, opens new tab * Corrections * Data Disclosure and Sources, opens new tab * Site Feedback, opens new tab All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a list of exchanges and delays. * Cookies, opens new tab * Terms & Conditions * Privacy, opens new tab * Copyright, opens new tab * Digital Accessibility, opens new tab * Corrections * Data Disclosure and Sources, opens new tab * Site Feedback, opens new tab (c) 2026 Reuters. All rights reserved