Protesters in Iran have continued to challenge the country’s Islamic leadership, flooding the streets of Tehran with anti-government chants as authorities move to tighten their response to the unrest.
Rights groups warn that security forces are stepping up a deadly crackdown under the cover of a nationwide internet blackout that has now lasted 48 hours, making it difficult to verify the full scale of the protests and violence.
Anti-government slogans echoed through parts of the capital on Saturday night as demonstrators pressed on with what has become the largest wave of dissent against Iran’s rulers in more than three years. Despite the heavy clampdown, crowds were seen chanting against the clerical leadership and demanding sweeping political change.
The two-week-old protests have posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed defiance and blamed the unrest on the United States, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said they are ready to defend the government and restore order.
Reports of fresh violence have emerged from several cities, although the internet shutdown has made it difficult to confirm details or casualty figures.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump warned Iranian authorities against using force, saying the United States was “ready to help” the protest movement. “Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The son of Iran’s deposed shah, who lives in the United States, has also urged Iranians to step up what he called more “targeted” protests, including efforts to seize and hold key city centres.
The unrest began on December 28 after the Iranian rial collapsed to more than 1.4 million to the US dollar, deepening an economic crisis driven by international sanctions and domestic mismanagement. What started as demonstrations over the cost of living has since evolved into broader calls to remove the country’s clerical rulers.
