Iran's Largest Protests Since 2022 Persist Under Near-Total Internet Blackout

Overview

• Demonstrations entered a 14th day on Saturday, with verified protests from Tehran to Mashhad, Tabriz, Qom, Shiraz and other cities, and reports of nighttime clashes and a municipal building set ablaze in Karaj.
• NetBlocks says national connectivity has been held near 1% for more than 36 hours after authorities imposed a sweeping block on internet access.
• Rights groups including HRANA and Iran Human Rights report roughly 51–65 people killed and about 2,200–2,500 arrests, figures that remain difficult to verify under the blackout.
• Ali Khamenei denounced protesters as “vandals” and “sabotagers,” as the Revolutionary Guard and the regular Army accused “terrorists” and pledged to protect strategic infrastructure and public property.
• President Donald Trump warned Tehran of heavy consequences if protesters are killed and the State Department rejected Iranian accusations of U.S.-Israeli instigation as “delirious,” while exile figure Reza Pahlavi urged occupations of city centers and strikes in strategic sectors.