DUBAI: The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spiked Tuesday to at least 2,000 people killed, activists said, as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications during a crackdown. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years, gave the latest toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information. The group said 1,847 of the dead over more than two weeks of protests were protesters and 135 were government-affiliated.

Hundreds of protesters likely have been killed as the Iranian government cracks down on spreading civil unrest amid a collapsing economy.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a coming clampdown, despite U.S. warnings.