Crowds take to streets across Iran after call to defy regime
Mass protests take place in Iran after nationwide internet blackout
- Iran experienced a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday as protests against the regime intensified and spread to more cities.
- The unrest followed a call for mass demonstrations by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah, who urged Iranians to take to the streets.
- Witnesses reported widespread chanting of slogans such as 'Death to the dictator!' and 'Death to the Islamic Republic!' in Tehran and other major cities.
- The internet outage was attributed to Iranian government interference, while human rights groups reported at least 41 deaths and over 2,270 detentions related to the demonstrations.
- These protests, the largest wave of dissent in three years, are fuelled by economic hardship, including rocketing inflation, and restrictions on political and social freedoms.