Desk News || At least 2,000 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Iran, sparked by anger over the economic crisis, a government official told Reuters on Tuesday.He said that at least 2,000 people have been killed in the anti-government protests that have raged for more than two weeks, including civilians and security forces. The official blamed terrorists for the deaths.Iranian authorities have acknowledged for the first time that so many people have been killed in the protests that began on December 28.Speaking to Reuters, the official said that “terrorists” were responsible for the deaths of protesters and security forces. However, he did not give specific information about how many security forces and civilians were among the dead.The ongoing protests in Iran, due to the dire economic situation, are seen as a serious internal challenge for the Iranian authorities in the past three years. In addition to the protests, international pressure on the country's ruling regime has also increased significantly after last year's Israeli and US attacks.Iran's religious leadership, which has been in power since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has chosen a two-pronged strategy to deal with the protests. Although it admits that the protests that began with the economic crisis are "justified", the country's government is conducting a strict security operation against the protesters.Tehran has accused the US and Israel of inciting the protests. The Tehran regime has claimed that unidentified "terrorists" hijacked the public demonstration.Earlier, an international human rights organization reported that hundreds of people have been killed in the protests in Iran. At the same time, the organization also reported that thousands of protesters have been arrested.Since the protests began, the country has imposed severe restrictions on the internet. As the anti-government protests have become widespread, the internet connection in the country has been almost completely disrupted. Iran has even used military-grade jammers to disrupt the internet connection of Starlink, a company owned by US billionaire Elon Musk.Over the past week, multiple videos of clashes between protesters and security forces have emerged at night. Reuters has verified the authenticity of these videos. The videos show scenes of gunfire, burning cars and buildings, and clashes between protesters and security forces.Source: Reuters, AFP.