According to multiple Iran International sources with access to Iran’s highest security and political institutions, the killings during the latest wave of protests were not spontaneous. They were ordered. Sources say Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved a nationwide directive authorising live fire, with full awareness across all three branches of government. Over just two nights — January 8 and 9 — security forces including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia allegedly carried out a centrally coordinated operation that left at least 12,000 people dead. Many of the victims were under 30. As gunfire spread, Iran went dark. Internet access was cut, communications crippled, and hundreds of newspapers silenced. Aside from tightly controlled state media, Iran was sealed off from the world. The Iranian government now insists it intervened only to counter what it calls “terrorist groups,” while defending sweeping internet restrictions as a security necessity. Officials say negotiation and war are both on the table — but reject what they call foreign interference. Iran International has issued a global call for evidence, urging Iranians inside and outside the country to submit documentation so the dead are not erased. The blackout may hide the streets — but it cannot erase the names.