.jpg)
.svg)
Iran is experiencing its most serious wave of unrest in nearly three years, as demonstrations spread nationwide and authorities respond by shutting down both mobile and fixed internet services, effectively isolating the country from the outside world.
Although the government has not yet carried out a full-scale military crackdown, analysts believe concerns over possible US intervention may be holding it back. US President Donald Trump warned last week that Washington would respond if peaceful protesters were violently targeted, stating the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go.”
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that at least 42 people have been killed, while more than 2,270 individuals have been arrested as security forces attempt to reassert control.
Iran cut off from the world
Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Iran’s connectivity dropped sharply around 8 pm local time on January 8. Reuters and AFP confirmed the blackout was nationwide, affecting all major networks. International calls, including those from Dubai, failed to connect, plunging over 85 million people into a communications blackout.
The shutdown followed mass demonstrations across all 31 provinces after Iran’s exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, called for nationwide protests. In many areas, residents shouted slogans from rooftops and windows as security forces intervened, while some protesters set fire to government buildings.
Violence erupts on the streets
Protesters across multiple cities chanted slogans such as “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return.” Tensions escalated in several locations. According to the Associated Press, a police colonel was fatally stabbed near Tehran. In Lordegan, two security officers were shot, while five people were killed during an assault on a police station in Chenaran. Fires blocked roads in Tehran, and large crowds gathered in Borujerd, Arsanjan, and Gilan-e Gharb. Footage from Shiraz showed security vehicles crashing through barricades displaying messages like, “We rise because of hunger.”
Hardline newspaper Kayhan threatened the use of drones to identify protesters, yet crowds continued to assemble before communications were completely cut.
From prison, the family of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi echoed protesters’ key demand for an end to Iran’s clerical and patriarchal system. Abroad, journalist and activist Masih Alinejad urged global leaders to back the uprising, now in its twelfth day, saying the message from the streets was unmistakable: Iranians no longer accept the current regime. She also criticized the internet shutdown and appealed to Elon Musk to help restore access, while calling on Trump and the international community to support a transition toward secular democracy.
Economic collapse fuels unrest
The protests began last month after merchants at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar closed their shops, triggered by the collapse of the national currency.
In December, the rial plunged to 1.4 million per US dollar, compared to around 70 rials before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and approximately 32,000 rials during the 2015 nuclear agreement. Economic sanctions, poor management, and the aftermath of a 12-day conflict with Israel in June have deepened Iran’s financial crisis. Inflation is near 40 percent, while prices for food staples and fuel have surged. Fuel costs were increased in December, with authorities planning quarterly reviews.
As demonstrations entered a second week, Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei warned that anyone participating in or supporting protests would be treated as an enemy of the state and face serious consequences.
