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List of massacres in Iran

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This is a list of massacres in Iran.

Name Date Location Deaths Perpetrators Notes
Destruction of Persepolis February 330 BC Persepolis Unknown Ancient Macedonian army Civilian population and captives slaughtered at random upon conquest of the city. City burned to the ground in May 330 BC.
Massacre of the Cossaei December 324 BC / Early 323 BC Zagros Mountains Likely 100s–1000 Ancient Macedonian army Alexander the Great put the entire Iranian Cossaei people to the sword in forty days. Unknown death toll but most likely a few hundred to a thousand.
Istakhr massacre 651 Istakhr 40,000 Rashidun Caliphate Part of the Arab conquest of Persia[1]
Mongol mass-killings 1219–1258 Khwarazmian Empire 10,000,000–15,000,000[2][verification needed] Mongol Empire 75%[2]–90%[3] of Iranian population killed
Siege of Isfahan (1387) 1387 Isfahan 70,000–200,000 Timurid Empire [4][5]
Massacre at the Russian Embassy in Tehran 30 January 1829 Tehran, Qajar Iran 54 Persian Mujahideen, Employees of the British mission in Iran Mass murder of members of the Russian embassy and the Armenian refugees they sheltered. Subsequently, the Mujahideen killed almost the entire Russian embassy
1870 Shushtar Massacre 1870 Shushtar Unknown, possibly hundreds or thousands Governor of Khuzestan Much of the local Mandaean community of Shushtar was killed at the Borj-e-Ayar dam against the will of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.[6] The site of this killing is often locally referred to as "band-i subbī kosh" (Dam of the Mandaean Massacre) for this reason.[7] By 1877, only two Mandaean families remained in Shushtar.[8]
1903 Isfahan anti-Baháʼí riots 1903 Isfahan Unknown Crowds
1910 Shiraz blood libel 30 October 1910 Shiraz 12 Angry mobs Anti-Jewish pogrom
Ottoman genocide of Assyrians during the Persian Campaign 1914–1918 North-west Iran 12,000 Ottoman Empire According to The New York Times[9]
Haftevan massacre 1915 Haftevan, Iran 750–800 Assyrians and Armenians Ottoman Empire, Kurds Ottoman forces and Kurdish collaborators attacked the Assyrian village of Haftevan in northwestern Iran, and killed between 750 and 800 Assyrians and Armenians.
Goharshad Mosque rebellion August 1935 Goharshad Mosque 151-5,000[10] Pahlavi Iran Shahrbani police units
Pahlavi Iran Imperial Iranian Army
15 Khordad incident 5 June 1963 Tehran and Qom 380 Imperial Army of Iran,Shahrbani,SAVAK Part of the prelude to the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution 7 January 1978 – 11 February 1979 Iran Several thousands
2,000-3,000 (Charles Kurzman Estimation)
532-2,781[11]: 439  (Spencer Tucker estimation)
60,000+ (Islamic Republic Government estimation)		 Imperial Army of Iran
1978 Qom protest 9 January 1978 Qom 5-300 Imperial Army of Iran Part of the 1979 Iranian revolution
Cinema Rex fire 19 August 1978 Abadan 377–470[12] Islamic militants[11][12][13] Part of the 1979 Iranian revolution
Black Friday 8 September 1978 Tehran 118[14][11]: 439 [15][16][17][18][19] Imperial Army of Iran Part of the 1979 Iranian revolution
Haft-e Tir bombing 28 June 1981 Tehran 74 MEK 74 people were killed in a bombing targeting a meeting of leaders of the Islamic Republican Party at the party's headquarters
1981 Iranian Prime Minister's office bombing 30 August 1981 Tehran 8 Masoud Keshmiri (agent of MEK)
1981–1982 Iran massacres 1981–1982 Iran 3,500+ Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran 3,500+ executed[20][21][22]
Chemical bombing of Sardasht 28 June 1987 Sardasht, West Azerbaijan 130 Iraq Iraq Iraq dropped mustard gas bombs on Sardasht, West Azerbaijan, In two separate bombing runs on four residential areas, the attack killed 130 people and injured 8,000
Bombing of Kermanshah's park shelter 16 March 1988 Kermanshah, Kermanshah province 76 Iraq Iraq 76 persons—mostly women/children—who were in the shelter, were killed and more than 200 persons were injured
Iran Air Flight 655 3 July 1988 Strait of Hormuz, near Qeshm Island 290  U.S. Navy Airliner shotdown by the United States Navy
1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners July–December 1988 Iran 2,800–30,000+ Government forces [23][24]
Chain murders of Iran 1988–1998 Iran and abroad 80+ Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran Both in Iran as well as external operations abroad, including the assassinations of Fereydoun Farrokhzad and Shapour Bakhtiar[25][26][27]
Imam Reza shrine bombing 20 June 1994 Mashhad 25–26 Ramzi Yousef, Abdul Shakoor, MEK, Al-Haraka al-Islamiya al-Iraniya 70–200 injured
2009 Pishin bombing 18 October 2009 Pishin, Sistan and Baluchestan Province 43 Jundallah 43 people died in the attack, in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan, and dozens more injured
2010 Khorasan shootout 2 January 2010 South Khorasan Province 10 Drug smugglers
2017 Tehran attacks 7 June 2017 Tehran 18 ISIS
2019 Khash–Zahedan suicide bombing 13 February 2019 Kurin 27 Jaish ul-Adl
Mahshahr massacre 16–20 November 2019 Mahshahr 40–148 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Killing of protesters during 2019–2020 Iranian protests
Saravan massacre 22 February 2021 Saravan 10 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC forces blocked a road used by local fuel truckers. As residents tried to confront the military over the roadblock, the army opened fire. The shootings, which killed at least 10 people (one of them a 17-year-old child), sparked outrage and triggered the 2021–2022 Sistan and Baluchestan protests.[28][29][30][31]
Mostazafan Foundation shooting 14 May 2022 Ilam province 4 Unidentified former employee A former employee of the Mostazafan Foundation killed 3 workers and injured 5 more with a firearm. He later committed suicide.[32][33]
2022 Shah Cheragh attack 26 October 2022 Shiraz, Fars province 16 ISIS Mass shooting at Shah Cheragh mosque. Authorities stated that the attackers were not Iranian nationals.
Attack on Izeh market 16 November 2022 Izeh, Khuzestan province 7 Iranian security forces Violent crackdown on locals and protesters, 7 killed and 15+ injured
2024 Kerman bombings 3 January 2024 Kerman 103 Islamic State – Khorasan Province A double suicide bombing occurred on the fourth anniversary of Qasem Soleimani's assassination during a commemorative ceremony.
Kerman Shooting 21 January 2024 Kerman 5 Unidentified soldier A soldier opened fire inside a barracks dormitory, killing five of his comrades.[34][35]
2024 Saravan killings 27 January 2024 Saravan 9 Unidentified gunmen Killings of nine Pakistani workers by unknown assailants
Faryab shooting 17 February 2024 Mazraeh Imam, Faryab, Kerman 13 Bahram Jeshanpur[36] Twelve people are killed after 30-year-old Bahram Jeshanpur opened fire on his relatives during a family dispute at a village of Mazraeh Imam[37] in Faryab, Kerman province. The gunman was later shot and killed by police in a nearby village[38][39]
Israeli strikes on Evin prison 23 June 2025 Evin, Tehran 71–79[40] Israel Defense Forces Israel struck Evin prison, killing 79 including inmates, families of prisoners, conscript prison guards, doctors, social workers, a lawyer, a 5-year-old child, and residents of the area.[41]
2026 Iran massacres December 2025–present Iran 6,425–36,500 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij, Police Command, government forces, and State-sponsored militias The Iranian government perpetrated mass killings during an internet blackout to suppress protestors, resulting in 6,425 confirmed deaths, with a total death toll potentially reaching as high as 23,312 to over 36,500.[42][43][44][45]
2026 Minab school attack 28 February 2026 Minab 168–180 United States[46][47][48] The attack was part of a series of American airstrikes during the 2026 Iran war. The victims were primarily schoolchildren.[49][50][51][52] Investigations by The New York Times, CBC and NPR among others concluded that the United States was likely responsible for the strike.[46][47][48]
2026 Lamerd sports hall attack 28 february 2026 Lamerd 21 US army A sport hall in Lamerd was bombed, killing 21 civilians and injuring at least 100

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Campagnano, Gabriele (22 January 2023). "Il Massacro di Istakhr (651) - Zhistorica". zweilawyer.com (in Italian). Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 Steven R. Ward (2009). Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Georgetown University Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-58901-587-6. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Battuta's Travels: Part Three – Persia and Iraq". Archived from the original on 2008-04-23.
  4. ↑ Encyclopaedia iranica, Volume 1. ISBN 978-0933273993. the 1387 siege of Isfahan under Timur's personal direction ended in the slaughter of some 70.000 denizens of the city
  5. ↑ Chaliand, Gerard; Arnaud Blin (2007). The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda. University of California Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0520247093. isfahan Timur.
  6. ↑ Buckley, Jorunn (2002). The Mandaeans: Ancient Texts and Modern People. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5.
  7. ↑ Arabestani, Mehrdad (April 9, 2020). "Cosmology, identity and food related rituals among the Mandaeans". Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions. 189. EHESS: 203–226. doi:10.4000/assr.50397. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  8. ↑ Muftahi, Hezy (2014). Comparative Lexical Studies in Neo-Mandaic. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-25704-7.
  9. ↑ "Turkish Horrors in Persia". The New York Times. 1915-10-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  10. ↑ Hovsepian-Bearce, Yvette (2015). The Political Ideology of Ayatollah Khamenei: Out of the Mouth of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Routledge. p. 44. ISBN 9781317605829. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 Tucker, Spencer C. (2017). The Roots and Consequences of Civil Wars and Revolutions: Conflicts that Changed World History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781440842931.
  12. 1 2 Amanat, Abbas (2017). Iran: A Modern History. Yale University Press. p. 719. ISBN 978-0300112542.
  13. ↑ Kashani-Sabet, Firoozeh (2023). Heroes to Hostages: America and Iran, 1800–1988. Cambridge University Press. p. 344.
  14. ↑ Foltz, Richard (2016). Iran in World History. Oxford University Press. p. 108.
  15. ↑ Shakman Hurd, Elizabeth (2009). The Politics of Secularism in International Relations. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1400828012.
  16. ↑ Berg-Sørensen, Anders (2016). Contesting Secularism: Comparative Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 9781317160243.
  17. ↑ Thiessen, Mark (2008). An Island of Stability: The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Dutch Opinion. Sidestone Press. ISBN 9789088900198.
  18. ↑ "Emad Baghi :: English". emadbaghi.com. Retrieved 2018-09-08.
  19. ↑ Cooper, Andrew Scott (2016-08-02). The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran. Macmillan. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8050-9897-6.
  20. ↑ Rastyad Collective. "Rastyad: online database concerning the 1981 Massacre in Iran". Rastyad.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  21. ↑ Bazargan, Lawdan (February 15, 2024). "Unveiling The Darkness: The 1981 Massacre In Post-Revolutionary Iran". www.iranintl.com.
  22. ↑ "The 1981 Massacre in Iran: Uncovering a Forgotten Mass Atrocity". Tilburg University. 26 June 2023.
  23. ↑ "News". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  24. ↑ Per People's Mojahedin: Since June 1981-1989, some 90,000 Iranian citizens killed and another 150,000 jailed or tortured by the ayatollah. Sources: Joe Spear, Khomeini, the lunatic. Ludington Daily News, Mar 17, 1989; In Iran, The Terror And Torture Go On. The Washington Post. July 21, 1990.
    90,000 Iranian citizens killed and another 150,000 jailed or tortured by the ayatollah.
  25. ↑ Sinaiee, Maryam (January 6, 2025). "Q&A: All you need to know about Iran's 'Chain Murders' of dissidents". www.iranintl.com.
  26. ↑ "The Chain Murders: Killing Dissidents and Intellectuals, 1988-1998". FRONTLINE - Tehran Bureau.
  27. ↑ "Iran's Chain Murders: A wave of killings that shook a nation". December 2, 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
  28. ↑ "Iran: Killings Near Pakistani Border". Human Rights Watch. 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  29. ↑ "Pakistan's Baluchis Protest Iranian Treatment Of Ethnic Brethren After Border Shootings". RFE/RL. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  30. ↑ "Iran's security forces used live ammunition against unarmed fuel porters". Amnesty International. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  31. ↑ "Iran's security forces used live ammunition against unarmed fuel porters". IranHumanRights. March 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  32. ↑ "Ex-employee of state firm kills 3 in Iran shooting rampage". Associated Press. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  33. ↑ "چهار کشته در گروگان‌گیری ایلام؛ مهاجم نارنجک و سلاح گرم را 'در کیسه برنج پنهان کرده بود' - BBC News فارسی". BBC News (in Persian). 18 May 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  34. ↑ "ایستگاه خبر؛ یکشنبه یکم بهمن ۱۴۰۲ برابر با ۲۱ ژانویه ۲۰۲۴ - BBC Persian". BBC News (in Persian). 21 January 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  35. ↑ "Iranian soldier kills 5 comrades in southeastern city where IS attack killed dozens, state TV says". Associated Press. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  36. ↑ "بیوگرافی بهرام جشان بامری قاتل کرمانی + اسامی مقتولین". namnamak.com (in Persian). 18 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  37. ↑ "Man in Iran Guns Down 12 Relatives with Kalashnikov". iranwire.com. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  38. ↑ "A man in Iran guns down 12 relatives in a shooting rampage with a Kalashnikov rifle". Associated Press. 17 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  39. ↑ "عامل قتل‌عام خانوادگی فاریاب در درگیری پلیس کشته شد - پایگاه خبری فردای کرمان". fardayekerman.ir (in Persian). 17 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  40. ↑ "Photos: Aftermath of deadly Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin Prison". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
  41. ↑ "Israel's Deadly Assault on Iran Prison Incites Fury, Even Among Dissidents". 2025-07-06. Archived from the original on 2025-09-04. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  42. ↑ Fassihi, Farnaz; Varghese, Sanjana; Browne, Malachy; Behrooz, Parin (January 25, 2026). "How Iran Crushed a Citizen Uprising With Lethal Force". New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Day Twenty-Nine of the Protests: Threats of Property Confiscation and the Continuation of Blocking and Intimidation Policies". HRANA. 25 January 2026.
  44. ↑ Kay Armin Serjoie; Roxana Saberi; Fatemeh Jamalpour (25 January 2026). "Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Wikidata Q137884558. Archived from the original on 25 January 2026.
  45. ↑ "Over 36,500 killed in Iran's deadliest massacre, documents reveal". Iran International. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  46. 1 2 Browne, Malachy; Boxerman, Aaron (5 March 2026). "Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  47. 1 2 Angelovski, Ivan; Szeto, Eric; Bilhete, Britnei (4 March 2026). "Who bombed a girls' school in Iran? A visual investigation". CBC News. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  48. 1 2 Brumfiel, Geoff; Hurt, Alyson (4 March 2026). "Satellite images show Iran school strike hit more buildings than earlier reported". NPR. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  49. ↑ Kekatos, Mary (5 March 2026). "At least 186 students, teachers allegedly killed in Iran as organizations call for investigation". ABC News. A total of 186 students and teachers have been killed in Iran and 114 have been injured since U.S.-Israeli attacks began over the weekend, the Iranian education ministry said in a statement. About 20 education centers have been either damaged or fully destroyed, according to the ministry. Of those killed, 168 were from the Shajare Tayyiba Elementary School, an all-girls elementary school in Minab -- located in southern Iran -- which was hit by airstrikes, according to Iranian officials.
  50. ↑ "Death toll from Israeli strike on Iran girls school rises to 180". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  51. ↑ McClure, Tess (1 March 2026). "Death toll from school bombing in southern Iran reportedly rises to 165". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  52. ↑ "Israel strikes two schools in Iran, killing more than 80 people". Al Jazeera. 28 February 2026. Archived from the original on 28 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
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