TEHRAN - Iranian state television has acknowledged security forces shot and killed what it described as "rioters" in multiple cities amid recent protests over the spike in government-set petrol prices.
It was the first time authorities offered any sort of accounting for the violence used to put down the deadly demonstrations.
The acknowledgement came in a television report on Tuesday that criticised international Persian-language channels for their reporting on the crisis, which began on November 15.
The state TV report described the killings in four categories, alleging some of those killed were "rioters who have attacked sensitive or military centres with firearms or knives, or have taken hostages in some areas".
The report described others killed as passers-by, security forces, and peaceful protesters without assigning blame for their deaths.
In one case, the report said security forces confronted a separatist group in the city of Mahshahr armed with "semi-heavy weapons".
"For hours, armed rioters had waged an armed struggle," the report said. "In such circumstances, security forces took action to save the lives of Mahshahr's people."
Mahshahr in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province was believed to be hard-hit in the crackdown.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran was "killing thousands of people" for protesting.
"Iran is killing perhaps thousands and thousands of people right now as we speak, that is why they cut off the internet so people can't see what is going on," Trump said during a visit to London.
"Not just small numbers which are bad, big numbers which are really bad, and really big numbers ... It is a terrible thing and the world has to be watching."
Amnesty International said on Monday it believes at least 208 people were killed in the protests and the crackdown that followed.
Iranian officials disputed Amnesty's findings on Tuesday, though no evidence was offered to support the denials.
"I explicitly announce that the numbers and figures that are being given by hostile groups are utter lies and the statistics have serious differences with what they announced," judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said.
"They announced some numbers as well as some names ... Their claimed numbers are shear lies and fabricated," he said in remarks aired on state television.
"The names they have given are also lies," Esmaili said, adding they included people who were still alive and others who passed away of natural causes.
Iran has yet to release any nationwide statistics over the unrest that gripped the nation with minimum prices for government-subsidised petrol rising by 50 percent.(FA)