People gathered in the streets of Tehran on Thursday night, according to eyewitnesses, marking a new phase of ongoing protests in Iran following a mass demonstration call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. Immediately after the protests started, internet access and telephone lines in Iran were shut down.
The demonstrations served as a test to gauge whether the Iranian public could be influenced by Pahlavi, whose father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, fled the country before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and died in exile in 1980. Chants supporting the shah, previously punishable by death, were heard during the protests, highlighting the underlying frustration stemming from Iran’s struggling economy.
The protests continued on Thursday, spreading to various cities and rural areas across Iran, prompting more markets and bazaars to close in solidarity. As per the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, the ongoing violence around the protests has resulted in 41 deaths and over 2,270 detentions.
The escalation of protests is mounting pressure on Iran’s civilian government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports from CloudFlare, an internet company, and the advocacy group NetBlocks indicated an internet blackout, attributed to Iranian government intervention. Historical patterns suggest that such outages are followed by severe government crackdowns.
The protests, characterized by a lack of clear leadership, continue to evolve. The impact of Pahlavi’s call on the future trajectory of the demonstrations remains uncertain. Noted Iran analyst Nate Swanson emphasized the importance of viable leadership in past Iranian protests to drive significant change.
Under the banner “Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you,” Pahlavi urged Iranians to unite and voice their demands during the demonstrations. The streets of Tehran echoed with chants like “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” while some expressed support for the shah, proclaiming, “This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!”
Despite the serious tone of the planned demonstrations, Iranian officials appeared to take them seriously, with reports of heightened security measures including the use of drones. The overall scale of the protests, which preceded the scheduled demonstrations, has not been officially acknowledged by Iranian authorities.
The current wave of protests in Iran coincides with economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions and conflict. President Donald Trump’s recent warnings about potential violence against protesters have added a new dimension to the situation, drawing criticism from Iran’s Foreign Ministry for what is perceived as foreign intervention. Meanwhile, imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi’s family continues to advocate for change within Iran.