Limited internet access has begun to return in Iran after more than 200 hours of a nationwide shutdown, according to monitoring group NetBlocks, though connectivity remains extremely restricted.
NetBlocks reported Saturday that only about 2% of users currently have access, with no indication of a broader restoration. At the same time, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed U.S. President Donald Trump for the casualties and damage caused during the unrest.
“We see him responsible for the casualties, the destruction and the slander against the Iranian nation,” Khamenei said.
The shutdown began nine days ago amid an escalation in nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic, following calls by exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi for mass demonstrations. Iranian authorities cut internet access in an effort to disrupt coordination among protesters and suppress the unrest.
Iranian media outlets aligned with the regime reported Saturday that SMS services had been restored on some mobile networks and that limited internet access had returned for certain users. Mehr News Agency, which is affiliated with the government, said the internet, “which was cut for several days due to terrorist riots to ensure the security of the state and its citizens,” had been restored for some users.
The reports come as protests appear to be waning after security forces killed thousands of demonstrators and arrested thousands more, according to opposition and foreign reports.
The past several days have also been dominated by questions over whether Trump would order a military strike on Iran. While he had earlier told protesters that “help is on the way,” Trump told reporters Friday that he had decided against attacking Iran.
“No one convinced me,” Trump said. “I convinced myself.”
Trump also thanked Iran’s leaders for what he said was their decision to cancel 800 executions planned for detained protesters. Asked whether his promise of assistance to demonstrators still stood, he declined to answer directly.
“They were planning to execute more than 800 people yesterday, and I greatly appreciate that they canceled it,” Trump said while traveling from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.
Some analysts said the option of a strike had not been fully ruled out.
Iran’s Fars News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed Saturday that the unrest had largely subsided. The agency described the protesters as consisting of “thugs seeking to disrupt social order” and “Mossad agents and terrorists,” asserting that the broader public had ignored Pahlavi’s calls to take to the streets.
Fars said security forces were continuing what it called “the cleansing of terrorism,” adding that arrests were ongoing and would soon be completed.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that the police chief of Gilan province said all those who “incited unrest” had been identified and detained. He said 50 protest leaders had been arrested and that the total number of detainees exceeded 1,500.
The opposition outlet Iran International reported Saturday that it had obtained information indicating that the IRGC’s Quds Force and allied proxy groups played a central role in the killing of protesters on January 8 and 9. According to the report, fighters from Afghanistan’s Fatemiyoun Brigade, Pakistan’s Zainabiyoun Brigade and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces took part in suppressing demonstrations.
Iranian authorities have not commented on the allegations.