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Iranians staged their biggest protests yet of an almost two-week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, chanting slogans including “death to the dictator” and setting fire to official buildings, videos showed Friday.
The crowd could be heard chanting “death to the dictator” in reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ruled the Islamic Republic since 1989. Other videos showed significant protests in cities across the country, including Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Mashhad in the east, as well as the Kurdish-populated west, including the regional hub Kermanshah.
Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late Thursday and added early Friday that the country has “now been offline for 12 hours in an attempt to suppress sweeping protests”.
The son of the Shah of Iran, ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, US-based Reza Pahlavi, who had called for major protests Thursday, meanwhile, urged a new show of force in the streets on Friday.
Several videos showed protesters setting fire to the entrance to the regional branch of state television in the central city of Isfahan. It was not immediately possible to verify the images.
Flames were also seen in the governor’s building in Shazand, the capital of the Markazi province in central Iran, after protesters gathered outside, according to other videos.
The protests late Thursday were the biggest in Iran since 2022-2023 rallies nationwide sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
Rights groups have accused authorities of firing on protesters in the current demonstrations, killing dozens. However, the latest videos from Tehran did not show intervention by security forces.
