Internet disruption, several arrests made as Iran protests continue

Tehran, Iran – Iranians are again experiencing net disruptions amid ongoing protests crossed the state arsenic authorities authorities pass against overseas sabotage and organise demonstrations.

Internet users person since Thursday reported sporadic disruptions to location and mobile connections, with information from the US-based planetary net infrastructure and cybersecurity institution Cloudflare connected Saturday showing an mean 35 percent little postulation measurement successful Iran compared with erstwhile days.

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Iranian authorities person unopen down oregon slowed connectivity levels during erstwhile rounds of protests, limiting Iranians to lone a localised intranet. Internet connectivity came to a near-complete halt successful mid-June for respective days during the tallness of the warfare with Israel and the United States.

The authorities has not specifically commented connected the latest slowdown successful the discourse of the protests, but Minister of Information and Communications Technology Sattar Hashemi told reporters that Iran had fended disconnected 1 of the largest cyberattacks successful caller representation connected Sunday, which could person contributed to constricted net bandwidth.

The protests that started past Sunday among traders and salesmen successful downtown Tehran person since dispersed to cities crossed the country. At slightest 10 radical person been killed during the demonstrations.

Among those killed was a young concern proprietor successful the metropolis of Hamedan successful occidental Iran, which has seen respective days of aggravated protests and the deployment of information forces.

Hamzeh Amraei, the determination governor’s governmental and information deputy, told authorities media connected Saturday that the man’s decease was “suspicious” and was carried retired by “enemies” to represent Iranian authorities successful a antagonistic mode successful the media.

Morteza Heydari, the apical information authoritative successful the metropolis of Qom, southbound of Tehran, confirmed connected Saturday that a 17-year-old lad was changeable dead. He claimed that “hostile elements” were down the incident, without elaborating. The authoritative said that different idiosyncratic “linked with violent movements” died aft a grenade exploded successful his hands.

State media reported connected Saturday that a “veteran member” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed by equipped and masked men successful Malekshahi, successful the cardinal state of Ilam. The semiofficial Fars quality bureau said that astatine slightest 3 radical were killed successful the city.

Multiple protests person been confirmed by authorities authorities and section reports implicit the past respective days successful the state of Lorestan successful the occidental portion of the country. The provincial subdivision of the IRGC said successful a connection connected Saturday that “three large leaders of the caller riots” successful the metropolis of Khorramabad were arrested, without naming the individuals.

State tv has besides aired alleged confessions of Iranian men with blindfolds oregon blurred retired faces, who claimed that they were equipped oregon successful interaction with overseas agents to make instability successful Iran.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, successful an code connected Saturday, blamed overseas power and said that “rioters indispensable beryllium enactment successful their place”.

The comments came aft US and Iranian officials exchanged barbs, aft US President Donald Trump said helium would “come to the rescue” of Iranian protesters if they were killed.

“They are unashamedly dropping the bombs connected women and children and committing genocide, but they archer america we indispensable not wounded anyone,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a code connected Saturday afternoon, successful notation to US backing for Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza, wherever the US has brokered a tenuous ceasefire.

Two men clasp up posters of the precocious commandant of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, General Qassem Soleimani, during a ceremonial commemorating his decease day astatine the Imam Khomeini expansive mosque successful Tehran, Iran, January 1, 2026 [Vahid Salemi/AP]

Iranian authorities organised a ample gathering successful downtown Tehran connected Saturday evening, and authorities media reported that thousands of radical were successful attendance, with those contiguous displaying spiritual imagery to people a nationalist vacation commemorating Ali ibn Abi Talib, the archetypal Shia imam.

Authorities besides acceptable up galore banners and posters successful main squares successful towns and cities crossed the country, which displayed images of Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s erstwhile apical general, who was killed by the US connected January 3, 2020, successful an aerial onslaught successful Iraq. Authorities are organising demonstrations successful galore cities to commemorate the day of the assassination of the commander, who was besides an designer of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance”.

Many businesses, schools, universities and authorities offices person been shuttered since Wednesday, erstwhile the authorities announced a time off, citing acold upwind and plans to negociate energy supply. Thursdays and Fridays are play days successful Iran, and Saturday was a spiritual holiday.

It was not wide whether businesses would reopen connected Sunday. Several online store owners and societal media personalities person said they volition cease their mean concern activities portion the protests are ongoing arsenic a amusement of solidarity and concern.

Protests person besides been ongoing successful universities, particularly among respective apical schools successful Tehran, with aggregate videos and reports by pupil groups indicating that respective students were detained.

Economic conditions person been deteriorating for years amid “maximum pressure” sanctions imposed by Trump successful 2018 implicit Iran’s atomic programme. Inflation stands astatine astir 50 percent, and has been among the highest successful the satellite implicit caller years.

In an evident effect to the protests past week, the authorities fired the cardinal slope chief, Mohammad Reza Farzin. His replacement, Abdolnaser Hemmati, was impeached successful March portion serving arsenic system minister. Hemmati besides oversaw a accelerated diminution of the nationalist currency during his tenure arsenic cardinal slope main betwixt 2018 and 2021.

Farzin was appointed arsenic peculiar advisor to the president successful economical affairs connected Thursday.