Iran without internet for a second day as the army comments on protests
Iran has been without internet access for a second consecutive day, as the military pledged to protect national interests amid protests that have entered their fourteenth day.
On Saturday, the non-governmental organization NetBlocks, which monitors internet connectivity, reported that the shutdown imposed by Iranian authorities on Thursday evening in response to the protests remains in place.
In a post on the X platform, the organization said: “Data indicate that the internet outage has continued for 36 hours, significantly limiting Iranians’ ability to check on the safety of their friends and relatives.”
Military response
Meanwhile, the Iranian army said on Saturday that it is committed to protecting national interests, strategic infrastructure, and public property.
In a statement, it urged citizens to remain vigilant to thwart what it described as “enemy plots,” as protests continue.
“Prepare to take control”
On the same day, Reza Pahlavi, son of the late shah and a resident of the United States, called on protesters in Iran to “prepare to take control” of city centers, on the fourteenth day of a protest movement sparked by deteriorating living conditions.
In a post on the X platform, Pahlavi said: “Our goal is no longer just to control the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and control city centers.”
He urged Iranians to “take to the streets” on Saturday and Sunday evenings, saying that he is preparing to “return to my homeland” on a date he believes is “very soon.”
U.S. support
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed Washington’s support for the Iranian people on Saturday, writing on the X platform that “the United States stands with the brave Iranian people.”
Earlier, Washington described as “baseless” accusations by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the United States was fueling the protest movement spreading across Iran.
In a statement responding to remarks made by Araghchi during a visit to Lebanon, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: “This statement reflects a baseless attempt to distract from the serious challenges the Iranian regime faces domestically.”
On Friday evening, new protests erupted against the government in Iran, particularly in the capital Tehran, where demonstrators marched along several major roads, according to footage verified by Agence France-Presse and images circulated on social media, despite a nationwide internet blackout.
On the thirteenth day of a protest movement gaining momentum, demonstrators in the Saadat Abad area in northwestern Tehran banged pots and pans and chanted slogans hostile to the authorities.
On Thursday evening, images verified by AFP showed crowds walking through Tehran, while Iranian state television broadcast footage on Friday showing damage to buildings and property, which it said resulted from acts of vandalism.
The mayor of Tehran said that more than 42 buses, public transport vehicles, and ambulances were set on fire, along with ten official buildings.
According to the judiciary, a public prosecutor was killed in the eastern city of Esfarayen, along with several members of the security forces, during protests on Thursday night.
Firm messages
For his part, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran “will not retreat” in the face of “saboteurs” and “rioters.”
Addressing a crowd of supporters chanting “Death to America,” Khamenei adopted a confrontational tone in a speech broadcast on state television, saying: “Everyone knows that the Islamic Republic was built on the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, and it will not retreat in the face of saboteurs.”
The intelligence branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stated that “the continuation of this situation is unacceptable,” stressing that protecting the revolution represents a “red line.”
On Thursday, Donald Trump again threatened to “strike Iran hard” if the authorities were to kill protesters.
