Overview
- Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused demonstrators of serving foreign powers and vowed zero tolerance, as state media alleged arson and attacks on public infrastructure.
- Human-rights groups report at least 45–51 deaths and more than 2,200 arrests, figures that remain difficult to verify under the nationwide communications shutdown.
- Judicial leaders warned of severe penalties, with Tehran’s prosecutor raising possible death sentences and the judiciary chief promising decisive punishment; the IRGC intelligence arm called the situation unacceptable.
- Exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi urged timed evening mobilizations, and protests persisted into Friday in cities including Tehran and Zahedan despite the blackout.
- President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” if authorities kill protesters, drawing sharp rebukes from Tehran, as NetBlocks confirmed the outage and airlines canceled flights to Iranian cities.