Around 2,000 persons, including security personnel, have been killed in the anti-government protests in Iran over the past two weeks, an Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.

According to the unidentified official, “terrorists” were behind the killings.

This marked the first time that the authorities in the country acknowledged the high toll following a crackdown on protesters.

The protests, which began on December 28, were initially focused on discontent about rising inflation. However, they later expanded in scope as protesters in more than 100 cities demanded an end to clerical rule.

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The authorities in Iran have accused the United States and Israel of inciting the unrest. On January 8, the government snapped internet access and telephone lines, largely cutting off the country from the outside world.

The restrictions were eased on Tuesday, AP reported. However, text messaging services were still down and internet users were only able to connect to government-approved websites locally.

According to the BBC, one of the protesters who was arrested on January 8 has been sentenced to death.

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United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was “horrified” by the violence in Iran, AFP reported.

“The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” Turk stated.

Turk also described reports about the possibility of a death sentence to protesters as “extremely worrying”, Al Jazeera reported.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement carried on state media, praised the thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations, AP reported.

“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”