Protests across Iran intensified on Thursday night as demonstrators took to the streets in large numbers in Tehran and cities nationwide, torching symbols of state authority and chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic’s leadership. The escalation came as U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his warning to Tehran that Washington would respond forcefully if the regime kills protesters, while human rights groups reported a mounting death toll and mass arrests.
Opposition-linked media reported widespread arson during the latest wave of demonstrations. In Isfahan, protesters set fire to a building belonging to Iran’s state television network. In Tehran, police motorcycles were torched and a large billboard bearing the image of Qasem Soleimani, the former Quds Force commander killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020, was set ablaze. Demonstrators in the capital also burned portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while crowds in multiple locations chanted “Death to the dictator.”
Raising the shah’s flag
In Ahvaz, protesters burned images of both Khamenei and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. In Khorramabad, demonstrators torched the governor’s office and raised Iran’s pre-1979 flag, used during the reign of the shah, in the city’s central square. Opposition outlet “Iran International,” which operates from London, also reported that protesters set fire to the governor’s building in Gorgan.
According to the Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, at least 45 protesters have been killed since the unrest began nearly two weeks ago, including eight minors. The organization said hundreds have been wounded and more than 2,000 people arrested, warning that government repression is “widening and growing more violent by the day.” Iranian authorities and state media have acknowledged at least 21 deaths, including members of the security forces.
The protests began 12 days ago as a spontaneous demonstration by merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over soaring inflation and the collapse of the Iranian rial, which has plunged from 32,000 rials to the dollar in 2015 to nearly 1.4 million today. The unrest has since spread to dozens of cities, though it has not yet reached the scale of the nationwide hijab protests that swept Iran in 2022.
On Thursday, the regime moved to further suppress the demonstrations by cutting off communications. Internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported a nationwide internet shutdown, describing it as part of an escalating campaign of digital censorship aimed at disrupting coordination among protesters. The Associated Press reported that phone lines were also disconnected. Later, a reporter for “Iran International” said billionaire Elon Musk had activated free satellite internet access inside Iran.
As protests spread, President Masoud Pezeshkian called for restraint, urging security forces to avoid violence. “Protesters must be treated with tolerance, and all forms of violence against them must be avoided,” he said, adding that the public’s demands should be heard. At the same time, he warned suppliers against hoarding goods or raising prices excessively, saying the government must ensure adequate supply and price supervision.
Mass protests
The latest unrest was fueled in part by a call from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince and son of Iran’s deposed shah, who urged Iranians to take to the streets. Demonstrators in several cities responded with chants of support, including “This is the final battle. Pahlavi will return” and “Long live the shah.” In the city of Khomein, the birthplace of Ayatollah Khomeini, protesters were heard chanting slogans in favor of the monarchy.
In a statement, Pahlavi warned the regime against cracking down on the protests, saying the world, including Trump, was watching closely. “To the great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you,” he said. “Take to the streets in unity and voice your demands. I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the Revolutionary Guards that repressing the people will not go unanswered.”
Trump echoed that message on Thursday, reiterating his warning to Tehran in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “If they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots, we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said. Addressing Iranians directly, he added: “You must stand up for your right to freedom. There is nothing like freedom. You are a brave people. It’s a shame what’s happening to your country.”
Trump: 'We're going to hit them very hard'
(Photo: Clash Report)
Asked about Pahlavi, Trump said the exiled crown prince “seems like a nice guy,” but added that it would not be appropriate for him, as president, to offer formal support at this stage.
Meanwhile, reports of violence continued to emerge from across the country. Iranian media said two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in clashes with what authorities described as “separatist elements” in the western city of Kermanshah. “Iran International” published footage showing people lying on the ground, claiming security forces had opened fire on demonstrators. Two deaths were reported, though it was not confirmed whether the victims were IRGC personnel.
Protesters beat a security officer in Qazvin, Iran
Regime-aligned Tasnim news agency released video purportedly showing protesters assaulting a security officer in Qazvin. The judiciary-run Mizan outlet reported that a police officer was stabbed to death in a town near Tehran. Fars news agency said armed attackers killed two security personnel and wounded 30 others in a shooting in the city of Lordegan. State television reported that a police station in Khorasan Razavi province was attacked a day earlier, leaving five people dead.
Despite the mounting reports, regime media sought to downplay the scale of the protests. Fars claimed that while online activity was extensive following Pahlavi’s call, street gatherings in Tehran were limited and scattered, arguing there was a significant gap between enthusiasm on social media and turnout on the ground.
Analysts say the situation remains volatile. “The momentum is very strong, and Trump’s support is the most important factor,” Beni Sabti, an analyst with the Iran program at the Institute for National Security Studies, told ynet. “If the Revolutionary Guards do not intervene, this could escalate, but not overnight. It will take time. Even the 1979 revolution began with relatively small numbers. Trump’s statements are the most critical element right now.”