On Friday, armed demonstrators engaged in confrontations with security personnel in Tehran’s Tehranpars district as protests against the regime across Iran intensified and became more violent.
In cellphone footage shared with Iranian TV and Fox News Digital, the sounds of gunfire rang out for several minutes as Iran’s State Security Forces faced off against what they termed “rebellious youth.”
The video captured the chaos on the streets, with people running and shouting slogans like “Death to Khamenei!” “Death to the dictator!” “Shame on you!” and “We are all together!”
As the unrest in Iran’s capital continued, protests entered their 14th consecutive day on Saturday. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran, the toll by Friday included 65 fatalities, among them children, and 2,311 individuals arrested.
This week, authorities enforced a significant internet blackout, effectively isolating the nation from the global community and issuing stern warnings of severe repercussions as the anti-regime demonstrations gained momentum.
Authorities imposed a sweeping internet blackout this week that largely cut the country off from the outside world and escalated threats of harsh punishment while anti-regime protests spread.
A masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest Friday in Tehran, Iran. (UGC via AP)
The protests expanded to 190 cities in Iran by Saturday, according to the National Council of Resistance in Iran.
“By defending the demonstrators, the rebellious youths did not allow the flames of the uprising to be extinguished,” dissident politician Maryam Rajavi said in a statement. ” They have shown their determination to triumph over the regime.”
Iranian state TV shows a man holding a device to document burning vehicles during a night of mass protests in Zanjan, Iran. (Iranian state TV via AP)
At a news conference in Washington, D.C., Friday, President Donald Trump said Iran was facing mounting pressure as unrest spreads across the country.
“Iran’s in big trouble,” Trump said. “It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago. We’re watching the situation very carefully.”
Trump warned that the U.S. would respond forcefully if the regime resorts to mass violence.
“We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts. And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts,” he said.
As of Saturday, Lufthansa, flydubai, Turkish Airlines, AJet, Pegasus, Qatar Airways and Austrian Airlines had all suspended flights to Iran.
