Iran protests latest: Trump says Ayatollah is looking to flee and pledges to ‘hit them hard’ if protesters harmed
Iran protests death toll rises after country plunged into blackout
- Iran rights groups say at least 62 people have died, including 48 protesters and 14 security personnel, in widespread anti-government protests.
- The country is largely cut off from the outside world after authorities blacked out the internet and phone lines to curb growing unrest.
- Iranians have taken to the streets for nearly two weeks with video showing buildings aflame as the anti-government protests rage in cities across the country.
- The protests, initially focused on the dire economic situation, have escalated to include direct challenges to the authorities, posing the biggest internal challenge to Iran's clerical rulers in at least three years.
- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to back down, accusing demonstrators of acting on behalf of émigré opposition groups and the United States, while a public prosecutor threatened death sentences for those involved in sabotage.