Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs reported on Saturday that at least 3,468 people have been killed in the Islamic Republic since the outbreak of hostilities with the United States and Israel in late February.
Iran’s state-run Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs announced on Saturday, April 18, 2026, that the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel has claimed the lives of more than 3,400 people within the Islamic Republic. The grim update was provided during a 14-day ceasefire, a temporary reprieve in a war that erupted in late February following a series of coordinated U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran. Foundation head Ahmad Mousavi, speaking to the ISNA news agency, confirmed that 3,468 “martyrs… fell during the recent conflict.” This official tally serves as a sobering reminder of the war’s intensity, even as diplomatic channels remain open during the current truce.
The figures provided by Mousavi represent a slight increase from a previous official estimate issued on April 12 by the head of the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, which placed the death toll at 3,375. However, independent monitors suggest the actual number of fatalities may be even higher. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on April 7 that at least 3,636 people had been killed. Their data provides a more granular look at the casualties, alleging that the dead include 1,701 civilians—among them at least 254 children—alongside 1,221 military personnel and 714 individuals whose status remains unclassified.
The discrepancy between official government figures and independent human rights reports underscores the difficulty of verifying data in a high-intensity conflict zone. While the Foundation of Martyrs focuses on those it designates as “martyrs” for state compensation and honors, rights groups have focused on the heavy civilian burden of the air campaign. As the ceasefire enters its final days, international observers are closely monitoring whether these mounting losses will drive both sides toward a more permanent de-escalation or if the conclusion of the truce will lead to a renewed offensive on the Iranian capital and its surrounding provinces.
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