Clashes between police and protesters in Iran. There is no internet, the police used tear gas

Police in Iran once again opened fire on Thursday and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who have been protesting against the government for several days, non-governmental organizations reported. According to the Internet monitoring group Netblocks, there is no Internet connection across the country.

The police used tear gas among others in the cities of Kerman in southeastern Iran and Tonekabon on the Caspian Sea, non-governmental organizations reported.

At least 45 demonstrators have been killed since the protests began, according to new calculations published Thursday by the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

Meanwhile, Iran's Fars news agency reported that a policeman “participating in efforts to control the unrest” was stabbed near Tehran and died a few hours later.

On the twelfth day of protests, despite brutal repression across cities in Iran, people are still in the streets.
Their message is clear: the people do not want this regime.#Iran pic.twitter.com/J74D7rwSuk

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 8, 2026

Iranian protests began with a strike related to the sharp decline in the value of the national currency and the difficult economic situation, but quickly acquired a political character. There were slogans against the government and the power of the ayatollahs. Within a dozen or so days, the demonstrations covered – according to the opposition website Iran International – more than 200 cities.

The son of the former shah, oppositionist Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile, called on Thursday to participate in demonstrations. “The regime is terrified and is once again trying to turn off the internet” to hinder mobilization, Pahlavi wrote on the social media platform.

For their part, seven Kurdish opposition parties in Iraq called for a general strike by Kurds in Iran on Thursday in support of the demonstrations. According to the human rights movement Hengaw, also based in Norway, this call was responded to in about 30 cities and towns where Kurds live. (PAP)

mw/ mal/