Rows of bodies in Tehran, Iran amid regime’s mass killing during nationwide protests, January 2026Co-written with Tess McClure and originally published by The Guardian:Supreme Leader’s Deadly Order: Crush The Protests Across IranOn Thursday 8 January, in a midsize Iranian town, Dr Ahmadi’s phone began to buzz. Comparing the number of dead they witnessed with hospital baselines, they estimate it could exceed 30,000, far surpassing official figures. Other estimates from doctors based outside Iran range up to 33,000 or more. Graveyard and forensic medical staff describe chaos, with reports of authorities pushing for fast, mass burials to conceal the number dead. At one morgue, staff say they were confronted with several trucks loaded with bodies, far exceeding the facility’s refrigeration and storage capacity.