As many as 3,000 people have been detained for allegedly inciting unrest or provoking demonstrations across Iran, state TV reported on Friday.
The report cited a security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions, who claimed the detainees were involved in anti-government protests and were either affiliated with "terrorist groups" or accused of aggravating events.
Earlier, a separate tally by the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based group unaffiliated with the Iranian government, said that the ongoing protests had led to the detention of over 19,000 people.
In clashes that broke out during the protests, 2,677 people have lost their lives, the group added.
Iranian authorities have so far not issued any statements on the total number of people killed or injured during the protests.
The protests began on Dec. 28 in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants and small business owners staged strikes and demonstrations to protest soaring inflation, the collapsing currency the rial, and deteriorating economic conditions.
The demonstrations have since spread to multiple cities and escalated into anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and others.
