Iranian Regime Cuts Off Internet, Phones as Protests Spiral 

Iranian Regime Cuts Off Internet, Phones as Protests Spiral 

The Iranian regime, on Thursday evening, cut off nationwide internet and phone services as people in Tehran staged massive demonstrations, heeding the call made by the country’s exile Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. “Following a call to action by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, violent protests have erupted again in several cities,” Germany’s Der Spiegel reported. “The regime is responding with tear gas, firearms, and internet blockades.”

IRGC opening fire on protesters in Karaj tonight.

pic.twitter.com/LINVoftvWH

— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 8, 2026

Despite reports of regime forces firing at the crowds, large protests are being reported in cities across Iran. “Witnesses in the capital Tehran and major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan told Reuters that protesters gathered again in the streets on Thursday, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic’s clerical rulers,” the news agency reported.

Millions of Iranians out across the country at the same time.

All because of a single message sent by the Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.

This is the power of the crown 👑 pic.twitter.com/TYJeP8EUvU

— Mahyar Tousi (@MahyarTousi) January 8, 2026

Israeli media reports suggest that Elon Musk may have enabled free Starklink for Iranians to counter the internet blackout:

Channel 14 Israel:

Amid Iran’s internet shutdown, Elon Musk has quietly enabled free Starlink access for protesters, according to people familiar with the matter.

The move was implemented several days ago without a public announcement, with protest leaders informed privately.… pic.twitter.com/AEOqNSYJjA

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 8, 2026

The brutal crackdown by regime forces has failed to quell the uprising. “Demonstrations reached all 31 provinces on Thursday as the protest movement, now in its 12th day, showed no signs of abating,” The Guardian reported Thursday.

The BBC reported “anti-government demonstrations and gatherings in more than 50 towns and cities across the country, including in several regions previously perceived as being highly loyal to the state.”

Tehran right now
A massive surge of people fills the streets.#IranProtests #Iran https://t.co/Bjjb5tFGzp

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) January 8, 2026

The Associated Press reported the drastic measures taken by the Islamic regime:

People in Iran’s capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night after a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration, witnesses said, a new escalation in the protests that have spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began.

The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.

Thursday saw a continuation of the demonstrations that popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 41 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Iran’s civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported the internet outage, both attributing it to Iranian government interference. Attempts to dial landlines and mobile phones from Dubai to Iran could not be connected. Such outages have in the past been followed by intense government crackdowns. (…)

Pahlavi had called for demonstrations at 8 p.m. local [11 a.m. Easter Time] on Thursday and Friday. When the clock struck, neighborhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting, witnesses said. The chants included “Death to the dictator!” and “Death to the Islamic Republic!” Others praised the shah, shouting: “This is the last battle! Pahlavi will return!” Thousands could be seen on the streets.

“Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands,” Pahlavi said in a statement. “I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered.”

Pahlavi had said he would offer further plans depending on the response to his call. His support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past — particularly after the 12-day war Israel waged on Iran in June. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some demonstrations, but it isn’t clear whether that’s support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The country on strike. Massive numbers on the streets. Internet cut. Mullahs seen at Moscow airport. Yet the regime still shoot at protestors. Many dead. But the people keep on coming. The courage of our fellow human beings is staggering. #IranRevolution2026
Tehran tonight ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5XIZnQFnSI

— Omid Djalili (@omid9) January 8, 2026

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