Nationwide protests escalate in Iran amid internet blackout

Major demonstrations are escalating across Iran after nearly two weeks of unrest, with thousands of protesters reported in the streets nationwide, including in Tehran, according to monitoring groups and media reports.

The escalation comes as authorities impose a nationwide internet blackout and as international scrutiny intensifies. Live network data from NetBlocks showed that Iran entered a nationwide internet shutdown on Thursday evening, following calls for protests at 8 p.m. local time.

NetBlocks said the outage followed “a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country” and significantly restricted the public’s ability to communicate. The Associated Press reported that telephone lines were also cut in parts of the country.

The demonstrations followed a call for protests on Thursday and Friday issued by Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based son of Iran’s last shah and a prominent opposition figure who has called for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic.

Pahlavi said that any renewed internet shutdown should be treated as a signal to intensify protests. “If the regime makes this mistake and cuts the internet, it will itself be another call to continue occupying the streets,” he said. “In this way, you will drive another nail into the coffin of this regime.”

Footage circulating on social media from Iran shows fires at government buildings and police vehicles, along with crowds chanting slogans calling for the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the fall of the Islamic Republic.

The unrest has drawn warnings from Washington, where Donald Trump said Iran would be “hit very hard” if protesters are killed, adding that the United States is watching developments closely.

Since the start of the protests in late December 2025, at least 41 people have been killed, according to HRANA. The group said protesters have also been arrested by security forces.