Iran protests grow deadlier as regime internet blackout fails to stop uprising

Iran’s nationwide unrest entered its thirteenth time Friday, arsenic authorities imposed a sweeping net blackout that mostly chopped the state disconnected from the extracurricular satellite and escalated threats of harsh punishment portion anti-regime protests spread. Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) reported that astatine slightest 51 protesters, including 9 children, person been killed, with hundreds much injured.

Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American writer and exertion of the Iran So Far Away Substack, said demonstrations were expected to intensify aboriginal Friday contempt the communications blackout.

"People are going to beryllium pouring retired into the streets," Zand told Fox News Digital. She described the unrest arsenic unprecedented successful the Islamic Republic’s history.

"Absolutely, this is the archetypal clip successful 47 years. February 12 volition people 47 years that we person this opportunity," she said.

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A protester faces Iranian information forces during clashes amid nationwide unrest, according to images released by the Iranian absorption radical National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) (NCRI )

A elder U.S. authoritative told Fox News determination had been nary alteration to the U.S. subject posture successful the Middle East successful effect to the unrest, adding that U.S. Central Command was intimately monitoring developments, peculiarly astir Friday prayers and the regime’s response.

Thirteen days into the protests, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Germany issued their archetypal associated declaration connected the concern successful Iran.

"We are profoundly acrophobic astir reports of unit by Iranian information forces and powerfully condemn the sidesplitting of protesters," the connection said. "The Iranian authorities person the work to support their ain colonisation and indispensable let for state of look and peaceful assembly without fearfulness of reprisal. We impulse the Iranian authorities to workout restraint, refrain from violence, and uphold the cardinal rights of Iran’s citizens."

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Protesters stitchery arsenic vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, successful Tehran, Iran, successful this surface drawback obtained from a societal media video released connected Jan. 9, 2026.  (Social Media/via Reuters)

The opposition-linked National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Friday that information forces killed a important fig of protesters overnight successful respective cities, peculiarly Tehran and Karaj. The radical said repression forces opened occurrence connected civilians successful the Fardis country of Karaj, leaving astatine slightest 10 young radical killed oregon wounded successful 1 incident—claims that could not beryllium independently verified.

The person of the NCRI, Miriam Rajavi, told Fox News Digital that "The developments of caller months person proven a cardinal truth: though the authorities ruling Iran has been severely weakened and has suffered dense blows, it volition not illness nether the value of its ain failures. Its overthrow volition not travel from extracurricular Iran, nor volition it beryllium delivered by the volition of overseas capitals. As I person repeatedly emphasized, alteration tin lone beryllium achieved by the Iranian radical themselves, done an organized and nationwide absorption that is contiguous connected the crushed — 1 susceptible of confronting a ruthless dictatorship."

According to Reuters, Iran was efficaciously isolated aft authorities unopen down net entree successful an effort to curb the demonstrations, sharply limiting the travel of accusation retired of the country. Phone calls into Iran were failing, and astatine slightest 17 flights betwixt Dubai and Iran were canceled, according to Dubai Airport’s website. Videos verified by Reuters showed buildings and vehicles ablaze successful respective cities arsenic unrest intensified.

Footage verified by Reuters from Tehran showed hundreds of demonstrators marching, with astatine slightest 1 pistillate heard shouting, "Death to Khamenei!" Other chants included slogans supporting the monarchy.

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In Zahedan, wherever Iran’s Baluch number predominates, rights radical Hengaw reported that a protestation march pursuing Friday prayers was met with gunfire, wounding respective people, according to Reuters.

Iranian authorities tv aired images of clashes and fires, portion the semi-official Tasnim quality bureau reported that respective constabulary officers were killed overnight, underscoring the progressively convulsive quality of the confrontations.

In a televised code Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to backmost down. Reuters reported that portion the unrest has not yet drawn arsenic wide a cross-section of nine arsenic immoderate erstwhile protestation waves, Iranian authorities look much susceptible owed to a dire economical concern and the aftermath of past year’s warfare with Israel and the United States.

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Iranian demonstrations intensify for 13th day. (The National Council of Resistance of Iran)

The protests began precocious past period with shopkeepers and bazaar merchants demonstrating against accelerating ostentation and the illness of the rial, which mislaid astir fractional its worth against the dollar past year. Inflation topped 40% successful December. The unrest soon dispersed to universities and provincial cities, with young men clashing with information forces.

State tv broadcast overnight images of burning buses, cars and motorbikes, arsenic good arsenic fires astatine underground railway stations and banks. In the Caspian Sea larboard metropolis of Rasht, a authorities TV writer lasting amid the flames said, "This looks similar a warfare portion – each the shops person been destroyed."

Reuters noted that Iran’s absorption overseas remains fragmented, with disputed levels of enactment wrong the state for figures specified arsenic Reza Pahlavi, the exiled lad of the precocious Shah of Iran. Pahlavi urged Iranians to instrumentality to the streets successful a societal media post, portion President Donald Trump said Thursday helium would not conscionable Pahlavi and was "not definite that it would beryllium appropriate" to enactment him," helium stated successful an interrogation with Hugh Hewitt.

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Burning debris lies adjacent to an overturned dumpster successful the mediate of a thoroughfare during unrest amid demonstrations successful Hamedan, Iran, connected Jan. 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted aft shopkeepers successful Tehran's Grand Bazaar unopen their businesses to protestation the crisp autumn of Iran's currency and worsening economical conditions, with clashes reported successful respective provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying aggregate radical were killed successful the violence, marking the largest protests to deed the Islamic Republic successful 3 years. (Mobina / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the unrest, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the likelihood of overseas subject involution was "very low," adding that Oman’s overseas curate would sojourn Tehran connected Saturday, according to Reuters.

The Islamic Republic has weathered repeated waves of nationwide unrest implicit the decades, including large protests successful 1999, 2009, 2019 and 2022. Analysts accidental the coming days volition trial whether the existent uprising tin prolong momentum nether intensified repression — oregon conscionable a akin fate.

Reuters contributed to this article.