At least 62 people have been killed in mass protests in Iran, with authorities cutting off the internet and telephone services in an attempt to contain the unrest.
Reuters writes about this.
According to the human rights organization HRANA, 48 protesters and 14 security forces have been killed since December 28. Several police officers were reportedly killed last night. At the same time, the Iranian authorities have virtually isolated the country from the outside world, completely shutting down the internet.
The communications blockade has cut off phone calls to Iran and severely restricted information from the country. At least 17 flights between Dubai and Iranian cities have been canceled, Reuters notes, making it difficult to verify events on the ground.
A state television journalist in the city of Rasht said Shariati Street looked like a war zone, with most shops destroyed. Authorities blamed the unrest on the Mojahedin-e Khalq opposition group, which is based abroad.
In the video, hundreds of people march through the streets of Tehran. In one of them, a woman can be heard shouting: "Death to Khamenei!" The protesters also chant slogans against the dictatorship and in support of the monarchy, which was overthrown in 1979.
The protests began in late December over economic policies. The Iranian rial lost half its value against the dollar last year, and inflation exceeded 40% in December. The demonstrations later spread to universities and provincial cities and became openly anti-government.
In the city of Zahedan, home to the Baloch minority, a march after Friday prayers was fired upon, injuring several people. Human rights activists reported that security forces opened fire on protesters in the south of the country.
In a televised address, Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused protesters of working for opposition groups abroad and the United States. He said the Islamic Republic "will not back down before vandals" and accused the demonstrators of wanting to please US President Donald Trump.
- These protests were the largest since the 2022 mass protests, which resulted in the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini — she was detained allegedly for improperly wearing a hijab and later found dead.
- Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has already prepared a backup plan in case the regime falls, an escape plan. The Timesʼ interlocutor said that Moscow is seen as the only realistic option for Khamenei to seek refuge.
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