Tehran [Iran], January 10 : Protests in Iran entered their thirteenth day on Friday as the movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living has now morphed into a call for the end of the present regime that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the pro-Western Shah.
According to a post on X from Nicholas Carl, research fellow at Critical Threats, " Protests have expanded dramatically across Iran over the past day. Scenes of hundreds of protesters across major cities have circulated despite the countrywide internet shutdown that the regime imposed. Regime security forces appear to be using extreme violence across the country to end the protests...The protests have likely reached the point where they are challenging the ability of the regime to repress effectively. The security forces are seemingly facing bandwidth constraints and cannot be everywhere at once."
internet freedom monitor Netblocks documented the internet blockade enforced by the regime and said on Friday, "It has now been 24 hours since Iran implemented a nationwide internet shutdown, with connectivity flat lining at 1% of ordinary levels. The ongoing digital blackout violates the fundamental rights and liberties of Iranians while masking regime violence."
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi warned that security forces in the Islamic Republic could be preparing to commit a "massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout" after imposing a nationwide internet shutdown, reported the Times of Israel.
Ebadi said she had received information that hundreds of people had been taken to a Tehran hospital on Thursday with "severe eye injuries" caused by pellet gun fire.
Posting videos that she says she received from people in Iran via Starlink, prominent Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad said, "It's been over 24 hours now that the dictator of Iran has shut down internet connections for 90 million Iranians. Internet access is the lifeline of Iran uprising and by making Starlink services available for Iranian revolutionaries, Elon Musk has made a crucial and indispensable contribution to the fight for democracy in Iran."
Lending support to the protestors is the Iranian Crown Prince in exile Reza Pahlavi, who called for people to work together to deal the final blow to the regime.
"I have a message for our compatriots in the diaspora. At this moment, you can play a critical role. More important than anything at this time is the continuation of protests in your host countries and major cities and also sharing information with political, governmental, and media entities. You should get in touch with them however you can, via phone or email. The continuation of this coverage of Iran will ensure Iranians are a priority and are not forgotten. We must not allow this voice to be silenced on the international level. They must know the people of Iran, despite all of the limitations placed on them, with remarkable courage, are continuing the fight. And Iranians inside will see you are working alongside them and will be energized. Let us, at this time, work hand in hand to deal the final blow to the regime, achieve freedom, and rebuild our country," he said in a video message on X.
This follows, US President Donald Trump saying that the situation in Iran is being monitored very closely. Trump warned that if protestors were killed, the US would get involved and would hit the country where it hurts.
"Iran's in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible. We're watching the situation very carefully. I made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts, and that doesn't mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very hard where it hurts so we don't want that to happen," the US President said on Friday.
Meanwhile, according to reports from Iran, the protest marches have now spread across the 31 provinces of the nation. A TIME magazine report quoted a Tehran doctor on condition of anonymity that just six hospitals in the capital had recorded at least 217 protester deaths, "most by live ammunition.
State Media Press TV reported a counter narrative saying that tens of thousands of Iranians had rallied nationwide after Friday prayers to denounce what they termed were recent foreign-backed riots. The report further claimed that police said several armed terrorists were killed and others arrested during overnight security operations.
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani told Press TV that security forces and the judiciary were prepared to respond "in the strongest manner" to what he termed were foreign-linked individuals involved in armed violence and organized attacks targeting the Iranian nation.
Larijani said security forces had been instructed to exercise maximum caution to avoid harm to the public, but added that groups entering the scene with weapons or intent to interfere in Iran's internal affairs would face decisive action.
With the regime hardening its position and the US watching closely the situation in West Asia is once again tense.