With Internet outages being reported across the country, NetBlocks -- an independent digital rights watchdog that monitors global web connectivity, censorship, and cyber shutdowns -- is reporting mass breakdowns in Internet service in Iran.
Soleimani Statue Toppled As Iran Protests Gain Momentum
Anti-government protesters in Iran's Fars Province toppled a statue honoring deceased Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as demonstrations continued for an 11th night on January 7.
The independent Internet observatory NetBlocks is now reporting that parts of Iran are entering a "digital blackout."
And cybersecurity and digital rights expert Amir Rashidi has also been weighing in.
Here's some footage shared on shared on social media, which RFE/RL's Radio Farda has determined shows protesters marching tonight on Tehran's Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard.
Trump: Tehran Will 'Have To Pay Hell' If Authorities Kill Protesters
US President Donald Trump has reiterated warnings that Washington was ready to intervene if Tehran killed protesters during the ongoing demonstrations.
Speaking to conservative political commentator and talk show host Hugh Hewitt on January 8, he said that he had let Iranian authorities "know that if they start killing people -- which they tend to do during their riots, they have lots of riots -- if they do it, we're going to hit them very hard." He later added the Iranian government had "been told very strongly that...if they do that, they are going to have to pay hell."
The US President had previously warned the Iranian government about using violence against protesters.
Anti-Government Protests Continue Across Tehran
Protesters were out in the streets in many neighborhoods of Tehran on January 8, the twelfth night of anti-government protests. Eyewitnesses told Radio Farda that police used tear gas against the crowds in Tehran’s Yousefabad neighborhood.
Another update on the current Internet situation in Iran from cybersecurity expert and digital rights advocate Amir Rashidi.
Protests Swell In Tehran As Internet Is Restricted Across The Country
Videos shared with RFE/RL's Radio Farda on January 8 show mass protests taking place across many neighborhoods in the Iranian capital. Meanwhile, observers were reporting Internet outages across the country, blocking citizens from sharing information about the ongoing unrest.
We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning at 7:30 am Central European Time to follow events as they happen. Until then, take care.
Iran Under National Internet Blackout, Says Watchdog
The NetBlocks cyber watchdog reported on January 9 that Iran had been "offline" for 12 hours, as the authorities in the Islamic republic are restricting access to the Internet in an attempt to quell the increasing unrest that has spread across the country.
"National connectivity [is] flatlining at ~1% of ordinary levels, after authorities imposed a national internet blackout in an attempt to suppress sweeping protests while covering up reports of regime brutality," the global monitoring group posted on X.