It said of the dead, 3,786 were demonstrators, 180 were security forces, 28 were children, and 35 were people not demonstrating.

It fears many more may have been killed. The agency has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists on the ground to confirm each death. NDTV has been unable to independently assess the death toll in part due to the government shutting down the internet in Iran.

US Weapons In Middle East

Meanwhile, tensions remain high between the United States and Iran over the crackdown after President Donald Trump drew two red lines for the Islamic Republic – the killing of peaceful protesters and Tehran conducting mass executions in the wake of the demonstrations. A US aircraft carrier, which days earlier had been in the South China Sea, passed Singapore overnight to enter the Strait of Malacca – putting it on a route that could bring it to the Middle East.

As tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington, ship-tracking data analysed by the AP on Monday showed the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, as well as other American military vessels, in the Strait of Malacca after passing Singapore on a route that could take them to the Middle East.

The Lincoln had been in the South China Sea with its strike group as a deterrent to China over tensions with Taiwan. Tracking data showed that the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Spruance, all Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, were travelling with the Lincoln through the Strait.

Multiple US media reports quoting anonymous officials have said the Lincoln, which has its homeport in San Diego, was on its way to the Mideast. It likely would still need several days of travel before its aircraft would be in range of the region. The Mideast has been without an aircraft carrier group or an amphibious ready group, likely complicating any discussion of a military operation targeting Iran, given Gulf Arab states' broad opposition to such an attack.