Protests have continued to rage across Iran into the weekend, defying a severe and escalating crackdown by the regime's security forces. The demonstrations, now in their second week, represent the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic's rule in recent years.
Blackout and Brutality: A Regime's Response
In a move to isolate the movement, authorities imposed a sweeping internet and mobile communications shutdown on Thursday. This blackout has largely severed protesters from the outside world, making it difficult for international media to gauge the true scale of the unrest. However, sporadic videos and messages that have trickled out via systems like Starlink paint a picture of widespread defiance and a heavy-handed police response.
Videos show thousands of people marching in the streets of Tehran and Mashhad, with fires burning around them. Chants of "death to Khamenei"—a direct reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—and "long live the shah" echo through neighbourhoods. In a stark account, one Tehran protester communicating via Starlink told The Guardian that snipers had been stationed in the city and that they had seen "hundreds of bodies." Another activist reported witnessing security forces firing live ammunition at crowds.
The US-based Human Rights Activist News agency reports that at least 65 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained since the protests began on 28 December. Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi warned on Friday that security forces could be preparing to commit a "massacre under the cover" of the communications blackout.
International Condemnation and Regime Rhetoric
The international community has rallied around the protesters. The EU and US have posted messages of support, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating, "The United States supports the brave people of Iran." Former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened intervention if protesters are killed, warning Iranian authorities they were "in big trouble."
The Iranian regime, meanwhile, has become increasingly confrontational. Ayatollah Khamenei has blamed the US for whipping up the protests, labelling demonstrators as "vandals." The Iranian army vowed on Saturday to foil "the enemy's plots," calling national security a red line. State TV has attempted to downplay the events, portraying them as small aberrations and warning parents to stop their children from demonstrating.
Authorities have employed a carrot-and-stick approach, distinguishing between "legitimate" protesters with economic grievances and "rioters" backed by foreign powers. However, human rights groups describe increasing generalised violence against all protesters.
Momentum and Mobilisation Continue
Despite the intense pressure, the protest movement shows no sign of abating. More demonstrations were planned for the weekend, spurred on by calls from figures like Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah. Pahlavi has asked protesters to hoist the pre-1979 flag and has claimed that tens of thousands within Iran's security services have indicated a desire to defect.
Verified footage aired by the Iran Human Rights group showed distressed families searching through bodies in a Tehran hospital, alleged to be slain protesters. Meanwhile, Fars news agency, close to security services, broadcast what appeared to be forced confessions—a tactic rights activists warn is often a prelude to executions.
As the internet blackout persists, activists are desperately working to document the violence and momentum of the protests. Their plea to the world is clear: "Please make sure to state clearly that they are killing people with live ammunition." The situation remains volatile, with the regime's crackdown and the people's defiance on a dangerous collision course.
