Iran's two-week-long protests are met with an intensifying government crackdown, internet and phone line shutdowns, and death penalty threats for participants, as the death toll rises and international concern grows.
Protests sweeping across Iran have reached the two-week mark, facing an intensifying government crackdown, widespread internet and phone line outages, and a rising death toll of at least 72 people killed and over 2,300 detained. Despite Iranian state TV portraying control and reporting security force casualties, online videos verified by The Associated Press contradict these claims, showing ongoing, large-scale demonstrations. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has signaled a severe clampdown, while the attorney general warned that participants could face the 'enemy of God' charge, which carries the death penalty. U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for the protesters, and Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has called for continued demonstrations. The protests, initially sparked by the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, have escalated into direct challenges against the country's theocracy, leading to canceled flights by airlines and growing fears of a bloody crackdown amid the communication blackout.
