People gathered in the streets of Tehran on Thursday night, according to witnesses, in an escalation of ongoing protests in Iran following a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for a mass demonstration. As soon as the protests began, internet access and telephone lines in Iran were cut off.
These protests marked the first challenge to gauge the influence of Pahlavi on the Iranian public. The demonstrations included chants in support of the shah, a risky act that would have been punishable by death in the past but now reflects the underlying frustration driving the protests initially triggered by Iran’s struggling economy.
Thursday witnessed a continuation of the protests that erupted in various cities and rural areas across Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars joined in solidarity with the protests by shutting down.
The violence around the protests has resulted in the deaths of 41 individuals so far, with over 2,270 others reportedly detained, as per information from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The mounting protests are intensifying the pressure on Iran’s civilian government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports from CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks indicated an internet blackout, attributing it to government interference in Iran. Attempts to make calls from Dubai to Iran were unsuccessful.
The protests have largely remained leaderless, raising uncertainties about the impact of Pahlavi’s call on the future course of the demonstrations. The lack of a clear alternative leadership has historically hindered protest movements in Iran.
Pahlavi had urged people to take to the streets at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday and Friday. Witness accounts described neighborhoods in Tehran erupting in chants as the designated time arrived. Chants included slogans like “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” with some expressing support for the shah and anticipation of Pahlavi’s return.
Iranian officials seemed to be treating the planned demonstrations seriously, with reports suggesting measures such as drone surveillance to identify participants. The scale of the protests has not been officially acknowledged by Iranian authorities, although there have been reports of security officials being injured or killed during the unrest.
The protests come amidst economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions and a recent conflict with Israel, leading to a significant devaluation of Iran’s currency. President Trump’s warnings and comments on the protests have drawn strong reactions from Iran’s Foreign Ministry, accusing the U.S. of historical interventions in Iranian affairs.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi remains imprisoned since her arrest in December, while the protests continue to voice demands for political change in Iran.