No internet in Iran for more than 24 hours / The country's supreme leader has promised that the authorities will not back down in front of the protesters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Friday, January 9, 2025. Credit: Iranian Supreme Leader'S Office/ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
The interruption of internet access ordered by the Iranian authorities in the context of massive protests in the country has already lasted for 24 hours, the non-governmental organization Netblocks announced on Friday, according to AFP and Reuters.
“It has been 24 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity stagnating at 1% of normal levels,” the organization said in a post on the X platform.
Human rights groups have documented dozens of protesters dying in nearly two weeks, and Iranian state television has broadcast clashes and fires. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed during the night.
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In a televised address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said authorities would not back down, accusing the protesters of acting on behalf of opposition groups that have left the country and the United States. A prosecutor threatened the death penalty.
The protests represent the biggest domestic challenge facing Iran's clerical regime in at least three years. The country's leaders appear more vulnerable than in previous difficult times, given the problematic economic situation and the 12-day war with Israel in the summer, in which the US also intervened.
The protests initially focused on the economy, but have expanded to include slogans targeting the authorities directly.
The Iranian human rights group HRANA said on Friday it had documented the deaths of at least 62 people, including 14 law enforcement officers and 48 protesters, since the demonstrations began on December 28.
Shutting down the internet has drastically reduced the amount of information leaving the country. No phone calls could be made to Iran. At least 17 flights between Dubai and Iran have been cancelled, according to Dubai Airport.
