As Iranian protest enter day 13, Trump warns of possible US strike

Paris: Fresh protests erupted across Iran on Friday as demonstrators continued what has become the country’s most significant uprising in over three years, even as authorities maintained a nationwide internet shutdown amid a deadly crackdown.

The protests, now in their 13th consecutive day, were initially triggered by public anger over soaring living costs but have since expanded into broader demands for the dismantling of Iran’s clerical establishment, which has ruled since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In Tehran’s Sadatabad neighbourhood, residents were seen banging pots, chanting slogans against the government and the country’s supreme leader, and honking car horns in solidarity, according to videos verified by AFP.

Similar scenes were reported from other parts of the capital, while footage aired by Persian-language channels operating outside Iran showed large crowds gathering in cities including Mashhad in the east, Tabriz in the north, and the religious centre of Qom.

These demonstrations followed massive rallies on Thursday, described as the largest since the 2022–23 protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini while in morality police custody, AP reported.

The protests coincided with what internet monitoring group NetBlocks described as a nationwide shutdown lasting more than 24 hours, which it said was infringing on citizens’ rights and concealing the scale of state violence.

Amnesty International echoed those concerns, stating that the sweeping internet blackout appeared aimed at obscuring serious human rights violations allegedly committed to suppress the unrest.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights reported that at least 51 protesters, including nine children, had been killed by security forces, revising an earlier toll of 45. The organisation said hundreds more had sustained injuries.

In his first public remarks on the unrest since early January, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the protesters as destructive elements and accused them of sabotage. Speaking on state television, he also criticised US President Donald Trump, alleging that Washington bore responsibility for the deaths of over a thousand Iranians, a reference to Israel’s June conflict with Iran that the US supported and joined through direct strikes. Khamenei further suggested that the US leadership would ultimately meet the same fate as Iran’s former imperial rulers who were toppled in 1979.

Trump, responding on Friday, said Iran’s leadership appeared to be facing serious trouble and reiterated his warning that military action remained an option. He added that protesters seemed to be gaining control in cities previously thought unlikely to see such unrest, indicating a rapidly shifting situation inside the country.