Iran experienced a nationwide internet outage on 8/1, according to online monitoring organization Netblocks, as protests continued to intensify across the country. Simultaneously, The Associated Press reported a loss of international phone connectivity, with calls from both landlines and mobile phones from Dubai, UAE, to Iran failing to connect. These disruptions coincided with ongoing demonstrations throughout the night of 8/1, as crowds gathered on Ayatollah Kashani Boulevard in Tehran and took to the streets in the western city of Abadan.
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Iranian citizens gather on the streets in Kermanshah on 8/1. Photo: AFP |
Iranian citizens gather on the streets in Kermanshah on 8/1. Photo: AFP
The protests have resulted in significant casualties and arrests. Norway-based non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) stated on 8/1 that at least 45 people died in the Iran protests, including eight minors. IHR described 7/1 as the "bloodiest day", with 13 protestors killed. IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam added that hundreds of people in Iran were injured and over 2,000 were arrested due to the protests. Separately, Iranian media reported at least 21 people, including security forces personnel, died since the protests began. Fars news agency stated that an Iranian police officer was killed in Tehran while on duty "controlling the unrest". US-based information site HRANA further reported that protests in Iran took place in 348 locations across 31 provinces.
In response to the escalating unrest, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on 8/1 called for "maximum restraint" from security forces, stating that "all acts of violence or coercion must be avoided". Pezeshkian had also previously ordered security forces not to use repressive measures against peaceful demonstrators.
The wave of protests in Iran erupted on 28/12, when small business owners in the capital Tehran organized a strike to protest stagnant economic conditions and rising prices. The movement then spread to other regions in Iran, with students joining the demonstrations.
Ngoc Anh (According to AFP, AP)
