Internet Shutdown in Iran Deepens as Protests Spread To all Provinces | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Iran imposed a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday, as protests entered their twelfth day, with huge crowds in Tehran and other cities demanding the ouster of the Islamic Republic’s leadership, according to reports from The New York Times. A monitoring group confirmed the outage began around 8:30 local time, severing connectivity amid rising casualties and restricting communication, while The New York Times verified footage of fires at government buildings in Tehran’s Kaj Square. Rights groups report at least 45 protesters killed and over 2,260 detained by security forces, as per reports from WION.

Demonstrations, initially sparked by economic hardship, have spread to all 31 provinces following a call for mass action by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, NBC News reports. Protests turned political, with chants against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and escalated to strikes, statue topplings, and arson in cities including Esfahan, Shiraz, and Kermanshah.

Authorities announced stringent measures a day before the blackout, yet failed to quell the unrest, with NBC News noting the shutdown mirrors past tactics to curb footage and coordination. NetBlocks and Georgia Tech’s Internet Outage Detection database recorded near-total disconnection by Thursday evening. The move has isolated Iran digitally, limiting global coverage as violence intensified.

NetBlocks described the blackout as a tool to suppress information during unrest. Analysts link it to prior protest suppressions, exacerbating economic woes blamed on mismanagement and sanctions. Protests continue unabated, with unprecedented crowd sizes reported in Tehran.