Iranian official media on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed during protests which first erupted in late December and which activists say were suppressed with a deadly crackdown.
A statement by Iran's foundation for veterans and martyrs, cited by state television, said 2,427 people in that toll including members of the security forces were considered under Islam to be "martyrs", calling them "innocent" victims.
The clerical authorities have condemned the protest wave as a "terrorist" incident characterised by violent "riots" fuelled by the United States. Rights groups however say thousands of protesters demanding change were killed by direct fire from the security forces.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces but has warned this may only represent a minority of cases, adding that some estimates that "between 5,000 and 20,000 protesters may have been killed".
However all organisations monitoring the toll have said that efforts to give a precise figure are being severely impeded by the ongoing Internet blackout imposed by authorities in the Islamic republic, which according to monitor Netblocks has now lasted over 300 hours.
"Attempts to obscure the truth will be documented in real time. The world is watching," said Netblocks on the continued internet shutdown which it says is aimed at masking the extent of the crackdown.
The statement by the foundation for veterans and martyrs quoted by state television said "many of the martyrs were bystanders" shot dead during the protests.
It also claimed that "some were protesters who were shot by organised terrorist elements in the crowd", without providing evidence or details.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused security forces of deliberately targeting protesters from rooftops and also seeking to shoot protesters in the eyes.
The veterans and martyrs foundation condemned the "treacherous hand of Iran's enemies", accusing the "criminal leaders" of the United States of "supporting, equipping and arming" those who carried out the violence.
