Iran shuts down internet amid protest groundswell – monitoring group
Iranian cities have been the scene of unrest since late last month over soaring living costs and a weakening currency
A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday, global monitoring group NetBlocks said. Protests have been erupting across the country since late December, prompted by hyperinflation and an enduring economic crisis in the sanctioned Islamic republic.
No further information on the internet outage was immediately available.
The nationwide unrest, the worst in recent years, rapidly spread to multiple cities and reportedly led to deadly clashes with the Iranian authorities, with some protesters demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late Shah, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, called for more protests in a video post on X on Wednesday.
VIDEO: ???????? Violent clashes in Iran as protests spread to new areas
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 8, 2026
Twelve days of protests have rocked the country, spreading to all of its 31 provinces, according to the US-based HRANA monitoring group. The movement originated with a shutdown on the Tehran bazaar on 28 December… pic.twitter.com/MNP1uQ767D
Reports say at least 21 people have been killed during the protests. Tasnim news agency has also posted a video from Qazvin city in the northern part of the country, appearing to show a brutal attack on a security officer. According to the outlet’s sources, the officer was not armed and “was only inviting the people present in the street to express their protest without insults and damage to public property.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against hoarding or overpricing goods, state media reported on Thursday. He said people should not experience shortages and urged the government to ensure sufficient supplies and closely monitor prices nationwide.
However, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that rioters must be “put in their place.” The country’s top judge has also accused the demonstrators of “operating in line” with the United States and Israel.