Key points
- Iran imposed near-total internet blackout amid expanding economic protests.
- Protests spread to all 31 provinces, indicating nationwide unrest.
- Rights groups report at least 45 protesters killed since demonstrations began.
- Security forces allegedly killed eight children during the crackdown.
- Kurdish groups called general strike; shops closed across multiple regions.
- Tehran and Abadan saw large night-time demonstrations despite crackdown.
ISLAMABAD: Iran was plunged into a near-total internet blackout on Thursday night as protests over worsening economic conditions expanded across the country, The Guardian reported.
Internet blackout deepens
The outage was first recorded by internet monitoring group NetBlocks, which earlier detected connectivity disruptions in the western city of Kermanshah. While authorities did not officially comment on the shutdown, Iran has previously restricted internet access during periods of unrest.
According to the Norway-based organisation Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 45 people, including eight children, have been killed by security forces since demonstrations began in late December. IHR said Wednesday marked the deadliest day of the 12-day protest movement, with 13 protesters confirmed killed, hundreds wounded and more than 2,000 arrests.
Kurdish strike call
Calls for a general strike issued by seven Kurdish political groups were observed on Thursday, with shops closed across Kurdish regions and in several other cities. The Hengaw rights group shared footage of shuttered businesses in the western provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan, and alleged that security forces opened fire on protesters in Kermanshah and the nearby town of Kamyaran, injuring several people.
Demonstrations were reported in all 31 provinces, underscoring the nationwide scale of the unrest. In the southern province of Fars, protesters toppled a statue of former Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani, footage verified by international media showed.
Protests continued late into the night in Tehran, with large crowds gathering along Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard, accompanied by vehicle horns, according to images verified by Agence France-Presse (AFP). Demonstrations were also reported in Abadan, where IHR said a woman protester had been shot in the eye earlier in the week.
Iranian media and official statements have acknowledged at least 21 deaths, including members of the security forces, since the protests began.
Right group alarm
Rights groups accused authorities of using excessive force, including raiding hospitals to detain injured protesters. Amnesty International said Iranian security forces had injured and killed both demonstrators and bystanders.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday called for restraint, urging authorities to avoid violence and emphasising dialogue and engagement with public demands.
Economic crisis trigger
The protests were triggered by a sharp depreciation of Iran’s currency and mounting economic pressures. The government’s decision to end a subsidised exchange rate for importers has contributed to rising prices, with food costs increasing by more than 70 per cent over the past year and medicine prices by around 50 per cent, according to figures cited in the report.
Iranian officials have blamed the country’s economic difficulties on external factors, particularly Western sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Leaderless movement
Unlike the 2022 protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, the current movement appears decentralised and lacks a single leadership figure. Exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi has called on Iranians to protest from their homes and said further action would depend on public response.
International reactions have intensified, with the United States and Germany criticising Iran’s handling of the protests. Iranian officials have rejected such criticism, accusing foreign actors of interference.
Despite the crackdown, analysts cited by The Guardian said the response has not yet matched the intensity of the 2022 protests, though tensions remain high.
