*France: Iran must show restraint against protesters
Iran’s authorities must show maximum restraint towards protesters who have a legitimate right to demonstrate, a French diplomatic source said on Friday.
A nationwide internet blackout was reported in Iran on Thursday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said, as protests over economic hardships continued around the country.
“We deplore the deaths of several protesters and call on the Iranian authorities to fully investigate the circumstances surrounding these deaths,” the source said.
“We reaffirm our commitment to freedom of expression and assembly and call on Iran to respect all of its obligations under its international commitments.”
“National blackouts tend to be the regime’s go-to strategy when deadly force is about to get used against protesters,” Alp Toker, director of cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks told CNN, “with the goal being to prevent the spread of news of what’s happening on ground, and also to limit international scrutiny.”
From as far west as Ilam, a Kurdish-majority region bordering Iraq, to Tehran and Mashhad, in the northeast near the Afghan border, people in more than 100 cities have taken to the streets since protests first erupted 12 days ago.
Authorities have reverted to their tested playbook of cracking down without offering viable solutions to grievances driving public anger.
At least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed since demonstrations began, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO) reported Thursday.
It said hundreds more have been injured and over 2,000 people detained.
At least, some of the protesters appeared to be heeding a call by exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, to turn out Thursday.
One of the slogans shouted by the marchers was “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return,” according to a video reviewed by CNN.
As the latest protests unfolded, Pahlavi posted encouragement on X, urging Iranians to “take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands.” He added, “Rise Iran!”
Footage verified by CNN showed mass protests in cities across Iran, with demonstrators blocking roads and setting fires in the streets of the capital.
In the videos, opposing factions demonstrating across the country rallied around chants in support of and opposition to the Iranian government.
Iran’s state media said “scattered” protests broke out in parts of the capital Tehran and other cities overnight, and that an unspecified number of people had been killed and wounded, and public and private property damaged.
In a Telegram post on Friday morning, IRIB shared a video it said showed the aftermath of the protests in Tehran.
The footage, which does not have sound, showed several bikes and cars ablaze on the streets, and what appears to be the burnt-out shell of a bus. The entrance to a subway could also be seen smashed in.
The unrest prompted U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday to repeat his threat to attack Iran if security forces kill protesters.
“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots … we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump told radio host, Hugh Hewitt.
What began as organised protests in Tehran’s bazaars and universities has morphed into thousands marching through the streets in a movement that has increased pressure on the ruling regime.
Protests turned violent after the deployment of government security forces.
Millions of Iranians are grappling with rampant inflation and a plummeting currency, and everyday items and medicine have become unaffordable for many.
“This feels different because it’s about the people’s buying power, and people really can’t afford anything,” said a 30-year-old Tehran resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“Prices keep going up almost hour-by-hour at this point, but how it ends, no one really knows … Everyone feels worried.”
Iranian journalist and activist, Masih Alinejad, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday that the protests had expanded beyond economic matters.
“This is very clear that they’re saying that this regime can no longer be reformed. So, they’re saying we want an end to the Islamic Republic,” Alinejad said.
She added that this wave of demonstrations felt different than before.
“I even smell the freedom,” Alinejad said, “When people go to the streets, they show their face. They say that we have no fear because we have nothing to lose”.
