Iran internet blackout persists as Khamenei warns crackdown amid deadly protests

Independent.co reports that Iran's near-total internet blackout continued on Saturday as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a harsher crackdown on a growing wave of protests.

In his first public remarks since demonstrations began on 28 December, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic would "not back down", accused protesters of acting on behalf of foreign powers and blamed US president Donald Trump for unrest driven by Iran's economic crisis. Trump warned Khamenei that the US will "start shooting" if demonstrators are targeted by government forces as nationwide protests entered their 13th day.

The Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) said at least 62 people have been killed since the protests began, including 48 protesters and 14 security personnel. Protesters have chanted "death to Khamenei" in cities across the country, while authorities have maintained a nationwide internet shutdown that monitoring group NetBlocks said cut connectivity across multiple providers; the blackout has also disrupted travel links, with at least 17 flights between Dubai and Iran cancelled, according to Dubai Airport's website.

Reports say buildings, buses and shops have been burned and Tehran described as a "war zone"; Professor Maziyar Ghiabi said the protests may calm but added it is hard to see state force extinguishing them, leaving the scale and duration of the unrest uncertain.

Key Topics

World, Iran, Ali Khamenei, Donald Trump, Hrana, Netblocks