Iran plunged into a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday as protesters took to the streets and shouted from their homes, heeding a call from the country's exiled crown prince for mass demonstrations against the ruling regime. The unrest, representing a significant escalation, spread to major cities including Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan.
Nationwide Unrest and a Royal Appeal
The protests, which began last month over economic grievances, intensified dramatically following a video appeal by Reza Pahlavi. The exiled son of Iran's late Shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, urged citizens to take to the streets at 8pm local time on Thursday and Friday. Witnesses confirmed that as the clock struck the appointed hour, neighbourhoods across the capital erupted with chants of "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to the Islamic Republic!".
Unverified social media videos posted before the internet shutdown showed large crowds in the streets. In a striking act of defiance, one video depicted crowds toppling a statue of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in southwestern Iran. Such public demonstrations historically risked a death sentence, but now underscore the profound and widespread anger over Iran's ailing economy, mismanagement, and strict social controls.
Crackdown and Conflicting Narratives
The response from authorities was swift and severe. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 41 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained. The internet outage, reported by firms CloudFlare and NetBlocks, was widely attributed to government interference aimed at stifling communication and organisation.
Iranian state media, however, insisted that cities across the country remained calm. This official narrative starkly contradicted eyewitness accounts from Reuters and footage circulating online. The hard-line Kayhan newspaper published a video online warning that security forces would use drones to identify participants, indicating the state was taking the planned protests seriously.
Economic Grievances Fuel Widespread Anger
The current wave of dissent, the largest in three years, originated in Tehran's Grand Bazaar last month as shopkeepers protested the rial currency's free fall. It has since snowballed into a nationwide movement, fuelled by deepening distress over economic privations. These stem from rocketing inflation driven by state mismanagement and Western sanctions, coupled with ongoing curbs on political and social freedoms.
In a related development, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against hoarding or overpricing goods, state media reported. The role of Reza Pahlavi remains a complex factor. While some demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah, it is unclear whether this signifies direct support for Mr. Pahlavi or a broader nostalgia for the pre-1979 era. His past support for and from Israel has also drawn criticism within Iran.
As the internet remains restricted, the world watches to see if this renewed protest movement can sustain its momentum against a regime poised to suppress it. Mr. Pahlavi warned the Islamic Republic that suppression "will not go unanswered," setting the stage for a potentially prolonged and volatile confrontation.
