Iran's supreme leader has lost control and the days are numbered for his rule by fear

Iran is in the middle of its bloodiest moment since the 1979 revolution.

- BY TOM TUGENDHAT

According to Iran International, at least 12,000 people have been murdered by the regime during the latest nationwide protests. The scale alone should stop us in our tracks.

The protests have spread across cities and towns, from Tehran to the provinces, involving students, shopkeepers, workers and pensioners alike. They were triggered by mass inflation, food shortages and a collapsing currency, but they've moved far beyond economics. People are no longer demanding reform, they're calling openly for the end of the regime.

That’s drawn a ferocious response. Security forces are firing live ammunition into crowds. Hospitals are being raided to arrest the wounded. Bodies are being removed before families can identify them. Prisons are overflowing, and makeshift detention centres are being used to hold thousands of people whose only crime was to go outside and shout.

This is not chaos or loss of control, it’s a decision taken at the centre. The regime has chosen mass killing as a method of survival.

At the same time, the government is trying to blind both its own people and the outside world. Internet access has been cut and mobile networks are down. The aim is simple: stop images from spreading and stop Iranians from knowing how widespread the protests really are; but they're failing.