Nationwide protests against Iran’s government continued for a third consecutive week on Sunday, with fresh demonstrations reported in Tehran and Mashhad despite a near-total internet blackout and mounting casualties.
At least 116 people have been killed and approximately 2,600 detained since the unrest began, according to figures released by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. Independent verification has become increasingly difficult as authorities have severely restricted internet access and international communications.
The protests, initially triggered by the sharp collapse of Iran’s currency, have since widened into a broader challenge to the country’s leadership.
Videos circulated online—believed to have been transmitted via satellite connections—showed sporadic nighttime demonstrations in northern Tehran, with protesters flashing mobile phone lights, banging metal objects and sounding car horns. In Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, footage appeared to show clashes between demonstrators and security forces, as well as burning barricades.
Iranian officials have adopted an increasingly hardline tone. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that the United States and Israel would be considered “legitimate targets” if Washington launched any military action against Iran. Lawmakers echoed the stance by chanting anti-US slogans during a televised parliamentary session.
The country’s attorney-general has also warned that demonstrators could face charges of “enmity against God,” a crime that carries the death penalty under Iranian law.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly cautioned Tehran against the use of force against protesters and said Washington was “ready to help.” US media reports indicate that military options have been presented to the White House, though no final decision has been taken.
State television in Iran has sought to minimise the scale of the unrest, broadcasting images of calm streets and pro-government rallies in selected cities while largely excluding coverage of Tehran and Mashhad.
Meanwhile, exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi has urged Iranians to continue demonstrations, calling on citizens to reclaim public spaces and revive pre-revolutionary national symbols.