Tehran — Anti-government protests spread across multiple Iranian provinces this week, prompting authorities to impose a near-total Internet blackout and suspend international communications as the unrest evolved into the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since 2022.

Initially driven by Iran’s deepening economic crisis, soaring inflation and the collapse of the national currency, the demonstrations have rapidly escalated into open defiance of the ruling clerical establishment. Large crowds took to the streets of Tehran and other major cities between Thursday night and Friday, according to videos shared online before access was cut.

In his first major address since the unrest began nearly two weeks ago, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei adopted a hardline stance, accusing protesters of acting on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump. Khamenei claimed demonstrators were “destroying their own streets to please the president of another country.”

Shortly after the protests erupted in the capital, Iranian authorities shut down Internet access nationwide and blocked international phone calls, a tactic frequently used by the regime to disrupt mobilization efforts and prevent images of the crackdown from reaching the outside world.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks confirmed that Iran is now experiencing a “national Internet blackout,” effectively isolating the country. Analysts warn that such measures often precede the use of lethal force by security services.

The current wave of unrest marks the largest demonstrations since the 2022 protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Human rights organizations report that dozens of people have already been killed during violent confrontations with security forces.

Public anger has intensified in recent days, with chants directed at Khamenei himself and rare expressions of support for Iran’s former monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. His exiled son, Reza Pahlavi, has urged Iranians to continue protesting in the streets.

Meanwhile, President Trump reiterated his warnings to Tehran, stating that the United States could intervene if Iranian security forces continue to kill protesters, further raising concerns over a potential international escalation.