Protests in Iran near the 2-week mark as authorities intensify crackdown on demonstrators

Protests in Iran are reaching a critical point as they near the two-week mark, with the government acknowledging the demonstrations despite an intensifying crackdown. The country remains largely isolated from the global community as authorities have cut internet access and phone lines, making it increasingly difficult to assess the situation from abroad.

According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 72 people have been killed and more than 2,300 detained since the protests began. Meanwhile, Iranian state television continues to report on security force casualties while portraying the government as maintaining control throughout the nation.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a forthcoming clampdown, despite warnings from the United States. On Saturday, Iran escalated its threats when Attorney General Mohammad Movahedi Azad warned that protesters would be considered “enemies of God” – a charge that carries the death penalty. This designation would extend even to those who “helped rioters,” according to a statement broadcast on state television.

“Prosecutors must carefully and without delay, by issuing indictments, prepare the grounds for the trial and decisive confrontation with those who, by betraying the nation and creating insecurity, seek foreign domination over the country,” the statement read. “Proceedings must be conducted without leniency, compassion or indulgence.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed support for the protesters via social media, stating, “The United States supports the brave people of Iran.” The State Department separately issued a warning to Iranian authorities: “Do not play games with President Trump. When he says he’ll do something, he means it.”

Saturday marked the beginning of the work week in Iran, with many schools and universities reportedly holding online classes. While internal government websites appear to be functioning, the broader populace remains cut off from global communications.

Iranian state television has repeatedly aired footage of pro-government demonstrations accompanied by martial music from the “Epic of Khorramshahr” by composer Majid Entezami – a piece that honors Iran’s liberation of Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq war in 1982. The same music has been used in videos of women cutting their hair in protest of Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022.

State media has claimed that “peace prevailed in most cities” overnight, contradicting verified footage obtained by The Associated Press showing what appeared to be thousands of demonstrators in northern Tehran’s Saadat Abad area, with protesters chanting “Death to Khamenei!”

The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, released surveillance footage purportedly showing protesters in Isfahan firing weapons and throwing gasoline bombs at what appeared to be a government compound.

Iranian media has reported several security personnel deaths, including three members of the Guard’s Basij force in Gachsaran, a security official in Hamadan province, and police officers in Bandar Abbas, Gilan, and Mashhad. The Tasnim news agency claimed authorities had detained nearly 200 people allegedly belonging to “operational terrorist teams” with weapons including firearms and grenades.

The internet shutdown implemented Thursday has effectively isolated Iran, though some state-owned media outlets continue to publish. Qatar’s Al Jazeera appears to be the only major foreign news organization currently able to broadcast from within the country.

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who had called for protests on Thursday and Friday, has urged demonstrators to continue gathering over the weekend while carrying Iran’s pre-revolution lion-and-sun flag. Pahlavi’s support from Israel has drawn criticism in the past, particularly following recent regional conflicts. While some protesters have expressed support for the Shah-era, it remains unclear whether this indicates backing for Pahlavi himself or simply a desire to return to pre-1979 conditions.

The demonstrations began on December 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial, which now trades at over 1.4 million to the U.S. dollar. The economic crisis, exacerbated by international sanctions partly related to Iran’s nuclear program, has since evolved into broader protests directly challenging the country’s theocratic leadership.

Several airlines have suspended flights to Iran as a precautionary measure. Austrian Airlines announced it would halt flights through Monday, while Turkish Airlines has canceled 17 flights to three Iranian cities.

Human rights advocates have expressed growing concern that the internet shutdown could enable security forces to conduct a brutal crackdown without international scrutiny, similar to events in 2019 when hundreds were killed. Ali Rahmani, son of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, noted that protesters are “fighting, and losing their lives, against a dictatorial regime.”