Overview
- NetBlocks and media reports documented a nationwide shutdown of internet access and international calls, with disruptions persisting into Friday.
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed foreign interference, called protesters “saboteurs,” and signaled no retreat as the judiciary vowed “maximum” punishment.
- President Donald Trump warned the United States would “hit them very hard” if authorities kill protesters, escalating the standoff with Tehran’s leadership.
- Human rights monitors reported at least 62 to 65 people killed and more than 2,300 detained, with demonstrations recorded in hundreds of locations across all 31 provinces.
- The unrest began with bazaar shopkeepers protesting a collapsing rial and soaring prices, then grew after exiled Reza Pahlavi urged coordinated 8 p.m. chants, while some flights to Tehran were canceled.