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Iranian state media blames US and Israel for protests as internet is shut down | World News
Iranian state media has claimed “terrorist agents” from the US and Israel have set fires and sparked violence on the streets.
A brief report – low down in the morning news bulletin on state television – represents the first official word on protests that have swept through the country.
It went on to say the unrest has seen “people’s private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire”, and there have been casualties.
Iran’s government initiated a nationwide internet blackout late on Thursday, which extended into Friday, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. The blackout also applied to international phone calls.
Protests taking place in Tehran on Thursday night. Pic: AP
Demonstrations first began in Tehran last month – triggered by a sharp slide in the value of the rial currency – but have since spread across Iran.
Figures from the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency suggest 34 protesters and four security personnel have been killed, with 2,200 arrests.
Large protests on Thursday night followed a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration – with internet access and phone lines cut out immediately after they began.
The internet was shut down “to prevent the world from seeing the protests”, Holly Dagras, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.
“Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters.”
Burning vehicles are seen in the streets of Tehran in footage released on social media. Pic: Reuters
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, had said in a statement: “Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you.
“Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands.
“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.”
He added after Thursday’s protests: “Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals.”
The demonstrations, which began on 28 December, are reported to have reached over 280 locations in 27 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
The Sky News Data and Forensics team has independently geolocated and verified video of protests in 19 provinces.
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Sky News’ international correspondent John Sparks reported on Thursday how the demonstrations follow a collapse in the value of the Iranian currency and a period of prolonged hyperinflation.
At the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, $1 traded for 32,000 rials. On Tuesday, $1 was trading at 1.46 million rials – a new low – with no signs of slowing.
The economy has been badly damaged by US sanctions, along with mismanagement and corruption. Conditions further deteriorated after last year’s war with Israel.
