Iran faces growing pressure amid nationwide internet blackout

Pressure intensified on Saturday on Iranian authorities, as fresh protests swept the country overnight while a nationwide internet blackout cut off communication with the outside world. The demonstrations represent the largest wave of unrest since 2022 and have drawn international attention, including praise from former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Reza Pahlavi, son of the former shah and a leading figure of the Iranian opposition in exile in the United States, urged citizens to “prepare to take” city centers on the thirteenth day of the movement, one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic Republic since its founding in 1979. He called on demonstrators “to all take to the streets” Saturday and Sunday evenings “to occupy public spaces.”

On Saturday, the country remained largely offline for 36 hours following the government-imposed outage, according to the cybersecurity watchdog Netblocks. Trump said on Friday, “It seems to me that the people are taking control of some cities, which nobody would have believed possible just a few weeks ago,” adding that Iran had “big problems.” He also reiterated previous warnings to “hit the country very hard” in the event of a deadly crackdown, praising what he described as “the incredible enthusiasm [of Iranians] to overthrow this regime.” However, he cautioned that it was too soon for Pahlavi to assume a leadership role, while the shah’s son declared himself ready to “return to his native country” in the “very near” future.

Fears of a Massacre

Information from inside the country remained scarce on Saturday. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and exiled lawyer Shirin Ebadi warned of a potential “massacre under the cover of a total blackout,” citing reports that security forces had targeted hospitals treating wounded protesters. Amnesty International said it was reviewing evidence of a recent surge in repression.

Since the protests began on Dec. 28, at least 51 demonstrators, including nine children, have been killed and hundreds more injured, according to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. After protests intensified Thursday, mass demonstrations once again swept Tehran and other major cities overnight, according to AFP-verified images likely shared via satellite connections.

In Tehran’s Saadatabad neighborhood, protesters banged on pots and chanted slogans including “Death to Khamenei,” referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while cars honked in support. Persian-language TV channels abroad broadcast videos of large crowds in Mashhad, Tabriz, and the holy city of Qom. In unverified footage from Hamedan, a man waved Iran’s pre-revolution flag, featuring a lion and sun, amid fires and dancing crowds.

Supreme Leader’s Response

In a combative speech Friday, Khamenei warned that Iran would not “back down” in the face of protests. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological army, called the unrest “unacceptable” and pledged to protect the Islamic Revolution. The judiciary announced that punishment for “rioters” would be “maximum.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of interfering in the protests, while deeming a foreign military intervention “unlikely.” The U.S. State Department dismissed the claims as a “delusional attempt to distract attention.”

Context and International Reactions

These demonstrations are the largest since those that followed Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022, after her arrest for allegedly violating the strict female dress code. They come amid the country’s economic and military strains, including ongoing conflict with Israel, setbacks to regional allies, and the reinstatement of UN nuclear sanctions in September.

International responses poured in Friday, condemning the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters and praising the courage of Iranians, from Berlin to Ottawa, as well as the European Union and United Nations. “We will fight until we obtain freedom,” a woman in her thirties told AFP journalists outside Iran earlier this week.