Around 12,000 protestors have been killed by the Iranian regime, according to claims made by Iranian opposition website Iran International.

The figures are much higher than previous reports, with an Iranian official admitting to Reuters today that around 2,000 ?people have been killed ?in ??protests, ‍blaming 'terrorists' for ?the deaths ?of civilians and security ‍personnel.

This comes as human rights groups have warned that the regime has imminent plans to execute a 26-year-old man who was arrested on Thursday during a protest in Fardis, Alborz Province.

Sources told the National Union for Democracy in Iran and Iran Human Rights that the government plans to execute Erfan Soltani on Wednesday, after he was sentenced to death for taking part in the demonstrations. 

He has apparently been denied access to a lawyer.

Tehran's attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned on Saturday that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an 'enemy of God', punishable by a death-penalty charge. 

The Editorial Board of Iran International released a statement saying: 'At least 12,000 people were killed in the largest massacre in contemporary Iranian history, mainly on the nights of January 8 and 9, and this massacre will not be buried in silence.'

The opposition website claims the numbers are based on multiple sources, with the killings carried out by the Revolutionary Guards and Basij forces on the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

It says these killings were not 'unplanned' or the result of 'scattered clashes', adding that the death toll is the estimate held by Iran's own security authorities. 

According to The Times Of Israel (TOA), the opposition website put together and cross-referenced information from insiders, including a source close to the Supreme National Security Council and the Iranian presidential office.

They also reportedly received information from sources in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, witness accounts and information from medical officials.

Iran International said: 'This data was examined and verified through multiple stages and in accordance with strict professional standards before being announced,' TOA reported.

Thousands have been injured while almost 10,700 people have been arrested since protests began late last year, over frustration at the collapse of the Iranian currency and economic mismanagement.