New Trump warning as Iran cuts internet with protests across country

U.S. President Donald Trump issued a caller informing to Iran's leaders connected Friday arsenic videos showed anti-government protests raging crossed the country, and authorities blacked retired the net to curb increasing unrest.

Rights groups person documented dozens of deaths of protesters successful astir 2 weeks and, with Iranian authorities TV showing clashes and fires, the semi-official Tasnim quality bureau reported that respective constabulary officers had been killed overnight.

Trump, who bombed Iran past summertime and warned Tehran past week the U.S. could travel to the protesters' assistance issued different informing connected Friday, saying: "You amended not commencement shooting due to the fact that we'll commencement shooting too."

"I conscionable anticipation the protesters successful Iran are going to beryllium safe, due to the fact that that's a precise unsafe spot close now," helium added.

However Trump said connected Thursday helium was not inclined to conscionable Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based crown prince and lad of the precocious Shah of Iran, a motion that helium was waiting to spot however the situation plays retired earlier backing an absorption leader.

In a televised address, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to backmost down, accusing demonstrators of acting connected behalf of absorption groups overseas and the United States, and a nationalist authoritative threatened decease sentences.

Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said the determination to unopen down the net was made "by the competent information authorities nether the prevailing circumstances of the country."

The protests airs the biggest interior situation successful astatine slightest 3 years to Iran's clerical rulers, who look much susceptible than during past bouts of unrest amid a dire economical concern and aft past year's warfare with Israel and the United States.

While the archetypal protests focused connected the economy, with the rial losing fractional its worth against the dollar past twelvemonth and ostentation topping 40% successful December, they person morphed to see slogans aimed straight astatine the authorities.

Iranian rights radical HRANA said connected Friday it had documented astatine slightest 62 deaths, including 14 information unit and 48 protesters, since demonstrations began connected December 28.

The leaders of France, Britain and Germany issued a associated connection connected Friday condemning the sidesplitting of protesters and urged the Iranian authorities to restrain from violence.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations was precise disturbed by the nonaccomplishment of life.

"People anyplace successful the satellite person a close to show peacefully, and governments person a work to support that close and to guarantee that that close is respected," helium said.

The net blackout has sharply reduced the magnitude of accusation flowing retired of Iran and telephone calls to the state were not getting through. At slightest 17 flights betwixt Dubai and Iran were cancelled, Dubai Airport's website showed.

Images published by authorities tv showed what it said were burning buses, cars and motorbikes arsenic good arsenic fires astatine underground railway stations and banks.

Videos verified by Reuters showed hundreds of radical marching successful Tehran. In one, a pistillate could beryllium heard shouting, "Death to Khamenei!"

Other chants included slogans successful enactment of the monarchy, overthrown successful 1979.

Iranian rights radical Hengaw reported that a protestation march aft Friday prayers successful Zahedan, wherever the Baluch number predominates, was met with gunfire that wounded respective people.

A video posted connected societal media purported to amusement demonstrators successful the confederate metropolis of Shiraz chanting, "This is the twelvemonth of blood, Seyed Ali (Khamenei) volition beryllium overthrown."

Other videos connected societal media purported to amusement protests precocious connected Friday successful the northeastern metropolis of Mashhad and successful respective parts of Tehran. Reuters could not instantly verify these videos.

Authorities person tried a dual attack - describing protests implicit the system arsenic morganatic portion condemning what they telephone convulsive rioters and cracking down with information forces.

Last week, President Masoud Pezeshkian urged authorities to instrumentality a "kind and liable approach", and the authorities offered humble fiscal incentives to assistance antagonistic worsening impoverishment arsenic ostentation has soared.

But with unrest spreading and clashes appearing much violent, the Supreme Leader, the eventual authorization successful Iran, supra the elected president and parliament, utilized overmuch tougher connection connected Friday.

"The Islamic Republic came to powerfulness done the humor of hundreds of thousands of honourable people. It volition not backmost down successful the look of vandals," helium said, accusing those progressive successful unrest of seeking to delight Trump.

Iran's United Nations ambassador accused Washington of "destabilizing practices" blamed it for "the translation of peaceful protests into violent, subversive acts."

Tehran's nationalist authoritative said those committing sabotage oregon engaging successful clashes with information forces would look the decease penalty.

Iran's fragmented outer absorption factions called for much protests and Pahlavi told Iranians connected societal media: "The eyes of the satellite are upon you. Take to the streets."

"The consciousness of hopelessness successful Iranian nine is thing contiguous that we haven't seen before. I mean, that consciousness of choler has conscionable deepened implicit the years and we are astatine grounds caller levels successful presumption of however Iranian nine is upset," said Alex Vatanka of Washington's Middle East Institute.

However, the grade of enactment wrong Iran for the monarchy oregon for the MKO, the astir vocal of émigré absorption groups, is disputed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said connected Friday the accidental of overseas subject involution was "very low." He said the overseas curate of Oman, which has often interceded successful negotiations betwixt Iran and the West, would sojourn connected Saturday.

Iran has weathered repeated past bouts of large unrest, including pupil protests successful 1999, implicit a disputed predetermination successful 2009, against economical hardships successful 2019, and the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

The 2022 protests, sparked by the sidesplitting of a young pistillate successful the custody of the Islamic morality constabulary drew men and women, aged and young, affluent and mediocre onto the streets. They were yet suppressed, with hundreds reported killed and thousands imprisoned, but authorities besides ceded immoderate crushed with women present routinely disobeying nationalist formal codes.