Iran cuts internet, phones after Tehran protests erupt
As protests grow, pressure mounts on Iran’s civilian leaders and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, testing their authority.
Iran plunged into an information blackout on Thursday night, January 8, as authorities cut internet access and telephone lines shortly after protests erupted in Tehran over the country’s worsening economic conditions. The sudden shutdown, a familiar tactic during periods of unrest, left millions disconnected as anger spilled from homes into the streets of the capital.
Witnesses said people shouted slogans from balconies and rooftops before gathering in neighbourhoods across Tehran. The protests followed a call by Iran’s exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, urging citizens to stage mass demonstrations. The scenes marked a sharp escalation in unrest that has already spread to cities and rural towns across the Islamic Republic.
For many Iranians, the demonstrations are rooted in daily hardship. Rising prices, unemployment, a weakening currency, and long-standing frustration with corruption and mismanagement have pushed economic pain into nearly every household. What began as scattered protests over livelihoods has quickly taken on a broader political tone, challenging the authority of Iran’s leaders.
Thursday’s demonstrations were a continuation of protests that flared across the country on Wednesday, January 7. Markets and bazaars — the traditional heartbeat of Iran’s economy — shut down in several cities in a rare show of solidarity with protesters. The closures signalled that discontent was no longer confined to the streets, but was beginning to affect commercial life as well.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 39 people have been killed so far in connection with the protests, while more than 2,260 have been detained. The figures could not be independently verified, but rights groups say the true toll may be higher, particularly given the communications blackout that has made it difficult to gather reliable information.
One striking feature of the demonstrations has been the slogans themselves. Protesters have reportedly chanted in support of the former shah — a taboo that in earlier decades could have carried the death penalty. The chants underline the depth of public anger and a willingness among some demonstrators to cross long-standing red lines. For many, it is less about nostalgia for monarchy and more about rejection of the current system.
The unrest represents the first real test of whether Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch who fled the country just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, can influence events inside Iran from exile. His call for mass protests has drawn attention precisely because the movement on the streets has so far been largely leaderless.
That leaderless nature has been both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it has made the protests harder to decapitate by arresting a single figurehead. On the other, the absence of a clear alternative leadership has historically limited the ability of protest movements in Iran to turn sustained unrest into lasting political change.
“The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran,” wrote Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Council, which closely monitors Iranian affairs. He noted that while Iran has no shortage of capable dissidents, most potential leaders have been jailed, persecuted, or forced into exile by the security apparatus.
“There may be a thousand Iranian dissident activists who, given a chance, could emerge as respected statesmen,” Swanson wrote, comparing the possibility to the rise of Polish labour leader Lech Walesa at the end of the Cold War. “But so far, the Iranian security apparatus has prevented any such figure from taking root.”
Pahlavi has said he would outline further plans depending on how people respond to his call. His political role remains controversial. While some protesters see him as a unifying symbol, others remain sceptical, particularly given his past expressions of support for Israel. That stance has drawn criticism among Iranians, especially after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June.
As protests grow, pressure is mounting on Iran’s civilian government and on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ultimately holds the highest authority in the country. Each new night of demonstrations tests the balance between repression and concession, a calculation Iranian leaders have faced repeatedly over the past decade.
For ordinary Iranians, however, the struggle is deeply personal. Behind the slogans and statistics are families worried about food prices, young people without jobs or prospects, and a generation that feels increasingly disconnected from those in power. With communication lines cut and the streets under watch, the country waits anxiously to see whether the protests will fade, fracture, or force meaningful change.