Overview
- Internet watchdogs NetBlocks and Cloudflare reported a nationwide shutdown of internet and phone services Thursday night as protests intensified in Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.
- Activist tallies put deaths at roughly 38 to 45, including minors, with more than 2,200 detentions since demonstrations began on December 28.
- Protests have been recorded in at least 111 cities across all 31 provinces, with HRANA tracking unrest in up to 348 locations.
- Iran’s chief justice warned of “no leniency” for what authorities label rioters, while President Masoud Pezeshkian urged restraint toward peaceful demonstrators.
- Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi called for synchronized 8 p.m. chants and witnesses reported responses, as the rial’s collapse and high inflation continue to drive unrest.