Iran Shuts Internet, International Phone Calls As Anti-Khamenei Protests Intensify Across Cities

Demonstrations spread, resulting in reported deaths and detentions. The leaderless movement tests the government amid growing dissent and questions Pahlavi's influence.

Iran faced widespread protests fueled by economic hardship and a call from exiled Prince Pahlavi.

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Iran’s government cut off internet access and international telephone calls late Thursday as nighttime protests broke out across the country following a call to demonstrate by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi. Protesters shouted slogans from windows and took to the streets, prompting authorities to impose a communications blackout.

The demonstrations marked the first major test of whether Pahlavi, whose father, the shah of Iran, fled the country shortly before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, could influence public anger that had been building over Iran’s struggling economy. Chants backing the former monarchy, once punishable by death, underscored the depth of frustration now driving the unrest.

Protests Spread As Economy Fuels Anger

Demonstrations continued on Thursday in cities and rural towns, with more markets and bazaars shutting in solidarity with protesters. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 42 people have been killed so far and more than 2,270 others detained amid the unrest.

The expanding protests have increased pressure on Iran’s civilian government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as economic grievances continue to intersect with political dissent.

Internet Blackout Raises Fears of Crackdown

Internet monitoring firm Cloudflare and advocacy group NetBlocks reported the nationwide outage, attributing it to government interference. Attempts to connect international calls from Dubai to Iran failed on both landlines and mobile phones, a move that has historically preceded harsh security crackdowns.

Despite the latest mobilisation, the protest movement remains largely leaderless. It is still unclear whether Pahlavi’s appeal will shape the direction of demonstrations in the days ahead.

“The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran,” wrote Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Council, who studies the country.

“There may be a thousand Iranian dissident activists who, given a chance, could emerge as respected statesmen, as labour leader Lech Wałęsa did in Poland at the end of the Cold War,” Swanson added. “But so far, the Iranian security apparatus has arrested, persecuted and exiled all of the country’s potential transformational leaders.”