Iran sees largest protest day as regime cuts internet: What to know

Thousands of Iranians protested across Iran on Thursday evening in one of the biggest challenges to Islamic Republic rule in decades, as the country's leadership imposed a nationwide internet blackout in a bid to block communications. 

Meanwhile, on Thursday, US President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat to "hit" Iran if regime forces kill more protesters.  

Protests intensify 

Protests were reported in the capital, Tehran, as well as in Isfahan, Abadan, Shiraz, Rasht, Kerman, Lahijan, Mashhad, Sari, Hamadan, Khorramabad, Tabriz, Zahedan and Kermanshah, according to the London-based Iran International, which reports critically on the government. 

The outlet posted footage showing thousands of protesters marching in Tehran, and videos showing large crowds in other cities.

Other footage captured chants in support of the deposed shah in Mashhad, in addition to the burning of police motorcycles and the torching a banner commemorating a slain Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) commander. 

The growing protests follow calls by the son of the last shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, on Wednesday for mass protests to be held across the country on Thursday and Friday at 8:00 p.m. Tehran time. The elder Pahlavi was deposed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and fled to the United States. 

The internet monitor NetBlocks reported Iran was in the midst of a “nationwide internet blackout” on Thursday, attributing the blockage to government censorship. 

The Associated Press also reported that phone service was disrupted on Thursday, and Al-Monitor was unable to access several Iranian websites. 

The Iranian Kurdish human rights organization Hengaw reported that 39 cities in the Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces, as well as other parts of the country, went on strike on Thursday, leading to shop and market closures. 

Hengaw accused the government of seeking to intimidate the participants, including by summoning prominent shopkeepers and activists in the areas. 

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) published footage of Isfahan during the strike. 

Iranian state media sought to downplay the protests while pointing to instances of violence. The semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the IRGC, referred to the protests in Tehran on Thursday as "isolated and low-turnout gatherings” in a post on X, saying the majority of people have treated them with “indifference.” 

Tasnim posted footage on Telegram showing a burning bus in Mahabad, reporting that rioters had stopped two buses, beat the passengers and then set the vehicles on fire. 

The state-run Press TV reported on Thursday that security forces had arrested “several armed terror cells” in the western city of Borujerd, accusing the alleged perpetrators of having links to Israel. HRANA reported protests in the city the same day. 

The protests in Iran began on Dec. 28, sparked by the Iranian rial falling to a record low of 1.4 million to the US dollar and widespread economic malaise in the country. At least 45 protesters have been killed by police, according to the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights. Press TV reported on Thursday that an unspecified number of police officers have been killed. Earlier this week, the Iranian government offered people an allowance of $7 a month in response to the popular anger. 

Iran has experienced on-and-off protests for years in opposition to the government’s authoritarian rule and the dismal economic situation in the country. The Woman, Life, Freedom protests began in 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman, died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly violating the regime's strict hijab law, but they dissipated the following year amid a fierce crackdown by the Islamic Republic. More than 550 were killed, mostly protesters at the hands of security forces, in those demonstrations, and around 20,000 were detained. 

The 2009 Green Revolution protests broke out after hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won that year's presidential election over Reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi amid allegations of voter fraud. Thousands of Iranians joined the demonstrations, and opposition groups said at the time that around 70 people were killed by regime forces. 

Trump doubles down on Iran threat

Trump addressed the protests in a radio interview with conservative journalist Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, repeating his threat that the United States would "hit Iran" if the government kills any protesters.

“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots … we’re gonna hit them very hard,” said Trump. 

When pressed on reports that protesters have been killed, Trump attributed the deaths to “crowd control.” 

“The crowds are so large. There’s been a stampede. … People have been killed in that,” he said. “I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that.” 

Last week, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the United States would intervene in the event that Iran shoots and kills the demonstrators. 

“We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he wrote.