Iran has imposed a near-total nationwide internet blackout as anti-government protests enter their 13th day and spread across all 31 provinces.
Monitoring group NetBlocks says connectivity across the country dropped sharply on the evening of January eighth and to the 9th morning.,with mobile phone services also severely disrupted. Rights groups report at least 45 protesters have been killed since the unrest began on December twenty-eighth, including children, with more than two-thousand-two-hundred people arrested. The blackout followed mass demonstrations in Tehran and other major cities after exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi called for coordinated protests and rooftop chanting.
Witnesses say large crowds blocked roads, set fires, and chanted slogans against the government. Security forces responded with live ammunition and tear gas, while reports say hospitals were raided to detain wounded demonstrators, drawing international condemnation. Authorities have also imposed airspace restrictions, reports indicate that flights are suspended at several airports, including Tabriz.
