Iran has imposed a severe nationwide internet blackout and disrupted phone connections as a significant wave of anti-government protests intensified across the country on Thursday night.
Nationwide Blackout and Street Protests
According to witnesses and monitoring groups, demonstrators took to the streets in the capital Tehran and the major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan. Crowds were heard chanting slogans directly challenging the country's clerical leadership, including "death to the dictator" and "death to the Islamic Republic."
The internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks and the web infrastructure firm CloudFlare both confirmed a near-total internet shutdown in Iran, attributing it to government interference. The blackout coincided with escalating protests over severe economic hardships. Attempts to contact landlines and mobile phones in Iran from abroad, such as from Dubai, also failed to connect.
Economic Crisis Fuels Unrest
The current protests, described as the largest in three years, began last month among shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, angered by the collapse of the national currency. The rial recently hit a historic low, plummeting to 1.4 million against the US dollar. This economic freefall is compounded by inflation soaring to approximately 40%, sparking widespread fear over food security.
In response to the crisis, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers on Thursday against hoarding or overpricing goods, stating people should not feel any shortage. However, Iranian officials have not publicly acknowledged the scale of the demonstrations.
Violence and International Reaction
The unrest has turned violent. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 39 people have been killed and more than 2,260 detained since the demonstrations began. Local media reports detail several attacks on security forces, including the fatal stabbing of a police colonel outside Tehran and a shooting in Lordegan city that left two security force members dead.
Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has issued statements urging Iranians to continue protesting. Chants in support of Pahlavi, which carry the risk of a death sentence, have been heard on the streets. US President Donald Trump has vowed to support protesters if security forces open fire on them.
The Iranian economy has been crippled by a combination of stringent US sanctions and the aftermath of a recent 12-day war with Israel, creating a tinderbox of public frustration that has now ignited into open dissent.
