Iranians, incensed by a faltering economy and security force crackdowns, are staging massive anti-government protests around the country, including the capital Tehran.
The nation’s economic problems has prompted a wave of discontent that has seen demonstrators take to the streets for the twelfth night.
As soon as the protests started, Iranian authorities shut down phone connections and internet access. Although the blackout did not instantly stop recordings of the protests from being posted, an internet monitoring group viewed the action as a prelude to a potential violent response.
The late Iranian Shah’s exiled son, Reza Pahlavi, had demanded that protests be held tonight.
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is currently in exile, seemed to be encouraging at least some of the demonstrators to show up on Thursday. “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return” was one of the marchers’ chants.
Iranian official media is downplaying the protests despite verified videos showing sizable crowds in certain towns.
Iranian security officers and protesters have engaged in violent altercations in recent days.
Meanwhile, the US President Donald Trump has reiterated his threat to hit Iran “very hard” if demonstrators are killed by government troops.