Protests against Iranian regime continue as Ayatollah and state media denounce ‘terrorist agents’

Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets Friday morning after a call for protests from the country’s exiled crown prince, despite Iran’s theocracy cutting the nation off from the internet and international phone calls.

Short online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against the Iranian government around bonfires as debris littered the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other areas. Iran’s state media broke its silence on the protests Friday, accusing “terrorist agents” from the United States and Israel of setting the fires and sparking violence. He also indicated that there were “victims”, without further details.

The announcement on state television at 8 a.m. local time Friday was the first official word on the protests.

Iran’s Supreme Leader announced Friday that security forces would crack down on protesters, directly challenging U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to support those demonstrating peacefully. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump as having his hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”

Protesters are “destroying their own streets… in order to please the president of the United States,” Khamenei told the crowd gathered at his Tehran compound. “Because he said he would help them. He should instead pay attention to the state of his own country.”

The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, said separately that sanctions against protesters “would be decisive, maximum and without any legal leniency.”

Dozens dead so far, rights groups say

The scale of the protests could not be immediately determined due to the communications blackout, although they represented a new escalation of protests that began over Iran’s struggling economy and have grown into the most significant challenge to the government in several years. The protests have intensified steadily since the beginning of December 28.

The protests also represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late ruling Shah who fled Iran just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The demonstrations included cries of support for the Shah, which could have brought a death sentence in the past but now underscore the anger fueling protests that began against Iran’s struggling economy.

So far, violence around the protests has killed at least 42 people and more than 2,270 others have been arrested, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists news agency said.

Pahlavi, who called for protests on Thursday evening, also called for demonstrations on Friday at 8 p.m. local time.

When the clock struck 8 p.m. on Thursday, chants broke out in neighborhoods across Tehran, witnesses said. Chants included “Death to the dictator!” » and “Death to the Islamic Republic!”

Others praised the shah, shouting: “This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return! Thousands of people could be seen in the streets before all communication with Iran was cut off.

“Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the Iranian regime cut all lines of communication,” Pahlavi said. “It shut down the Internet. It shut down landlines. It might even try to jam satellite signals.”

He then called on European leaders to join Trump in promising to “hold the regime to account.”

“I call on them to use all available technical, financial and diplomatic resources to re-establish communication with the Iranian people so that their voice and will can be heard and seen,” he added. “Do not let the voices of my brave compatriots be silenced.”

Now is not the time to meet Pahlavi, Trump says

Pahlavi had said he would propose other projects, depending on the response to his appeal.

Protesters have shouted in support of the Shah during some demonstrations, but it is unclear whether this is in support of Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Pahlavi was criticized for its ties to Israel.

Iran has faced a series of nationwide protests in recent years. As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the 12-day war, its currency, the rial, collapsed in December, reaching 1.4 million to the US dollar. Protests began soon after, with demonstrators chanting against Iran’s theocracy.

It remains unclear why the Iranian authorities have not yet cracked down more harshly on the protesters. Trump warned last week that if Tehran “violently killed peaceful protesters,” America would “come to their rescue.”

In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt that aired Thursday, Trump reiterated his commitment.

Trump hesitated when asked if he would meet with Pahlavi.

“I’m not sure it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president,” Trump said. “I think we should let everyone out, and we’ll see who comes out.”

Speaking in a separate interview with Fox News, Trump went so far as to suggest that Ayatollah Khamenei may be considering leaving Iran.

“He’s looking to go somewhere,” Trump said. “It’s getting really bad.”