As protests continue across Iran and authorities issue coordinated warnings to demonstrators, a doctor and a nurse at two hospitals told the BBC that their facilities are overwhelmed with the injured.
One doctor reported that an ophthalmology hospital in Tehran had entered a state of crisis, while the BBC also received a message from a healthcare worker at another hospital, stating there were not enough surgeons to handle the patient influx.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran was in “great turmoil” and warned, “better not start shooting, because we will start shooting too.”
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Iran blamed the United States for turning the protests into what it described as “violent subversive acts and widespread vandalism.”
Meanwhile, international leaders called for the protection of the right to peaceful protest.
Anti-government demonstrations have taken place in dozens of cities, with two human rights groups reporting that at least 50 protesters have been killed.
The BBC and most other international news organizations are barred from reporting inside Iran. The country has experienced an almost total internet blackout since Thursday evening, making it difficult to obtain and verify information.
A doctor in Iran, contacting the BBC via the Starlink satellite internet on Friday evening, said that Farabi Hospital, Tehran’s main center for eye specialists, had entered a crisis state, with emergency services overwhelmed.
Non-urgent hospitalizations and surgical procedures have been suspended, while staff have been called in to handle emergency cases.
The BBC also received video and audio messages from a doctor at a hospital in southwestern Shiraz on Thursday. The doctor said large numbers of injured were arriving, and the hospital did not have enough surgeons to cope. He claimed many of the wounded had gunshot injuries to the head and eyes.
