Large crowds flooded the main arteries of Tehran on Thursday, according to videos
Iran's point of no return © Mena Today
Large crowds flooded the main arteries of Tehran on Thursday, according to videos
Major gatherings were also reported in Tabriz, Mashhad, and at least fifty cities spanning 25 of 31 provinces. Tellingly, protesters chant "this is the final battle, Pahlavi will return," referencing the dynasty overthrown in 1979, and "Seyyed Ali will be removed," directly targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Faced with this massive dissent, the regime has shut down internet nationwide, according to NGO Netblocks, hampering "the public's right to communicate at a critical moment." At least 45 protesters, including eight minors, have been killed, according to Iran Human Rights, which denounces increasingly violent repression. Over 2,000 people have been arrested and hundreds injured.
Security forces are using tear gas and firing live ammunition at crowds. In Abadan, a woman was shot directly in the eye. Germany's foreign minister condemned the "excessive use of force against peaceful protesters."
A Regime Under Siege
In a powerful symbolic gesture, protesters toppled a statue of Qassem Soleimani in Kuhchenar, attacking one of the regime's heroes. From Washington, Donald Trump threatened to "hit very hard" if Iran "starts killing" protesters.
Despite President Massoud Pezeshkian's tepid calls for "restraint" and "dialogue," the popular mobilization demonstrates a massive aspiration for change.
These protests, the largest since Mahsa Amini's death in 2022, reveal that a vast majority of Iranians now openly reject a dictatorship they hold responsible for their economic misery and daily repression.
By Fatemeh Karimi
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa arrived in Beirut on Friday, greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who made a telling plea: maintain an international force in southern Lebanon with strong European participation.
In a display of rare diplomatic courage, Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Raggi delivered a blunt message to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on Friday in Beirut: if Tehran genuinely wants to help Lebanon, it should support the Lebanese state directly, not its militia proxy, Hezbollah.
Iran was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities blacked out the internet to curb expanding protests, with phone calls not reaching the country, flights cancelled and online Iranian news sites only intermittently updating.
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