Iran is facing a sweeping nationwide internet blackout as anti-government protests grow more intense, cutting off much of the country’s communication network, Fox News reports. Now in their second week, the demonstrations have turned increasingly deadly, with reports indicating at least 44 people killed.
According to NetBlocks, a group that tracks global internet disruptions, Iran’s online traffic crashed on Thursday evening—shortly after calls for mass protests were shared across social media for 8 p.m. local time.
Before details of the latest casualties were reported, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Tehran during an interview with Hugh Hewitt. “If they start killing people, they will be hit very hard,” Trump said. When asked about his message to Iranians, he added, “You should feel strongly about freedom. There’s nothing like freedom. You’re brave people.” The U.S. State Department later reposted Trump’s comments on its Persian-language X account.
Ali Safavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told Fox News Digital that the blackout began earlier in the afternoon. “Around 1 p.m. local time, internet traffic dropped sharply,” he explained, citing widespread reports that authorities deliberately severed access. NetBlocks called the move part of “a series of escalating online censorship efforts aimed at suppressing protests nationwide.” The Associated Press also reported that phone lines had been cut in several areas.
Safavi said the shutdown coincided with violent clashes, according to Fox News. “The internet went down in Lordegan and the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces as fighting erupted,” he said. In Isfahan, a city of 2.3 million people, he added, “State radio and the TV station were set on fire by rebellious youth.”
The protests, which started in December after Iran’s currency collapsed and inflation soared, have transformed into a broad movement calling for the end of the Islamic Republic.
Safavi said the scope of the protests is unlike anything seen before with “millions of Iranians” pouring out into the streets “until nighttime.”
“Over the past 12 days, more young people have laid down their lives to free Iran,” he added.
Elsewhere, demonstrators set fire to government buildings, including in the city of Lumar in Ilam province. Safavi reported that symbols of state authority, including statues, have become prime targets being “destroyed.” In Tehran, crowds were heard shouting, “Death to the oppressor!”