DUBAI, January 23. /TASS/. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed reports from the local media saying that more than 3,000 people were killed in the Islamic Republic in recent riots.

"The overall death toll: 3,117," including civilians and security officers, Iran’s top diplomat wrote on his Telegram channel. Apart from that, he revealed how many shops, banks, residential houses and mosques had been damaged. On January 21, Iran’s Tasnim, Fars, ISNA news agency and IRIB television broke the news about the number of those killed in the unrest.

Protests in Iran began on December 29, triggered by a sharp decline in the value of the rial, and quickly spread to most major cities. On January 8, Araghchi stated that suspected armed terrorists had emerged among the demonstrators.

Tehran has blamed Israel and the United States for orchestrating the unrest. Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned that he is seriously considering the use of force against the Islamic Republic.