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New Delhi: Internet services were snapped across Iran on Thursday night after a large number of people joined a protest called by the country's exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. The country plunged into digital isolation after the authorities cut internet access across Tehran and other parts of the country.
Why Iran is on the boil
Iran has been witnessing widespread protests against the country's Islamic regime, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, over the ailing economy and soaring cost of living. The protests that began with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on December 28 after the country's currency Rial plunged to record lows, have swept the country and turned into larger-scale demonstrations, including in the capital. So far, at least 42 people have been killed in violence around the demonstrations.
On Thursday, thousands of people hit the streets following a mass protest call by Pahlavi and shouted slogans against the ruling theocratic regime. Several visuals from the protest sites surfaced on social media showing protesters chanting slogans against the Islamic regime and expressing support for Reza Pahlavi.
Nationwide internet blackout
CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported the internet outage, both attributing it to Iranian government interference. The Iranian government under President Masoud Pezeshkian also cut off the country from international telephone calls after the demonstrations intensified late night.
The exiled Crown Prince, in a post on X, slammed the Khamenei regime for snapping internet services across Iran. "Millions of Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals," he said.
He went on to call for European leaders to join US President Donald Trump in promising to "hold the regime to account."
"I call on them to use all technical, financial, and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen," he added. "Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.
Trump's threat
Meanwhile, Trump warned of severe action against Iran if its authorities "start killing people", warning Washington would "hit them very hard". His threat came after rights groups accused Iranian security forces of shooting at demonstrators. “I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots — they have lots of riots — if they do it, we are going to hit them very hard,” Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
