Huge anti-government protests in Tehran and other Iranian cities

[Twiglets1]

Huge crowds of protesters have been marching through Iran's capital and other cities, videos show, in what is said to be the largest show of force by opponents of the clerical establishment in years.

The peaceful demonstrations in Tehran and the second city of Mashhad on Thursday evening, which were not dispersed by security forces, can be seen in footage verified by BBC Persian.

Later, a monitoring group reported a nationwide internet blackout.

Protesters can be heard in the footage calling for the overthrow of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late former shah, who had urged his supporters to take to the streets.

It was the 12th consecutive day of unrest that has been sparked by anger over the collapse of the Iranian currency and has spread to more than 100 cities and towns across all 31 of Iran's provinces, according to human rights groups.

The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) has said at least 34 protesters - five of them children - and eight security personnel have been killed, and that 2,270 other protesters have been arrested.

Norway-based monitor Iran Human Rights (IHR) has said at least 45 protesters, including eight children, have been killed by security forces.

BBC Persian has confirmed the deaths and identities of 22 people, while Iranian authorities have reported the deaths of six security personnel.

Iranian state media downplayed the scale of Thursday's unrest. In some cases, they denied protests had taken place altogether, posting videos of empty streets.

Meanwhile, internet watchdog NetBlocks said its metrics showed that Iran was "in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg7y0579lp8o

The internet blackout is chilling but I do hope Iranians can get footage to the world. The scale of the protests is staggering and so wonder if we are on the brink of something momentous. The fall of this Islamist regime could usher in New opportunities for peace in the middle East with group a like Hamas cut utterly adrift and left to wither.

Let’s hope so @mids2019!

Hamas never did a thing to benefit the people of Gaza and the same is true of the extremist regime in Iran.

As protests in Iran entered their second week and Iranian authorities issued coordinated warnings to protesters, a doctor and medic at two hospitals told the BBC their facilities were overwhelmed with injuries.

One doctor said an eye hospital in Tehran had gone into crisis mode, while the BBC also obtained a message from a medic in another hospital saying it did not have enough surgeons to cope with the influx of patients.

A doctor from Iran, who contacted the BBC via Starlink satellite internet on Friday night, said Farabi Hospital, Tehran's main eye specialist centre, had gone into crisis mode, with emergency services overwhelmed.

Non-urgent admissions and surgeries were said to have been suspended, and staff called in to deal with emergency cases.

The BBC also obtained a video and audio message from a medic in a hospital in the south-west city of Shiraz on Thursday. The medic said large numbers of injured people were being brought in, and the hospital did not have enough surgeons to cope with the influx. He claimed many of the wounded had gunshot injuries to the head and eyes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9rengvnp9o

Apparently there’s a demonstration outside the BBC against their reporting of the Iran protests but I can’t verify this as when I google ‘Iranian protest outside BBC’ only BBC stuff comes up.

I suspect if you check for Iranian protests there'll be one outside the Embassy today. It will be interesting to see if the BBC TV News report on it as they ignored it last week.

I do hope there is momentum to this, and that it will eventually prove to be unstoppable.

We might see Iranian flags replace the Palestinian soon, another cause to follow for those who "join" movements. But the Iran overthrow, if it happens will affect (positively I hope) many aspects of ME politics.

I wish them well. Power to the people. America next.

If true that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is trying to seek refuge in another country that is enormous. For a start, I can't think of which country would take him. Certainly not sunni / wahabist Saudi Arabia or UAE. Unlikely many of the other sunni majority nations which barely tolerate Shia populations.

Would be weird symmetry if he ended up in France

Maybe his allies in Russia, China or North Korea would take him. He could join Assad in Moscow.

This is absolutely terrifying. The Iranian people are extremely brave. I’m worried about the length the Iranian government will go to, to stop the protests.

Hopefully he is doing that, idk where

I read somewhere that he may take refuge in China. I'll take a look and see if I can find the link.

China!?!

Nominally atheist if not actively heathen ancestor worshipping China? Wow.

How they'd square that with not giving residence to the Dalai Lama (not quite the same in terms of reverence for their followers but getting there) will be wild

There's a report of Persian gold being flown to Russia with Ukrainian accounts saying he might rock up there

https://nitter.net/maria_drutska/status/2009884915051983151#m

There's a report in The Times but it's behind a paywall. Ynet and other sources are reporting on it:

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has prepared an emergency plan to leave the country if mounting unrest overwhelms security forces and threatens his grip on power, according to intelligence findings reported by The Times.

The plan envisions Khamenei, 86, departing Tehran alongside a small group of close relatives and senior aides — fewer than two dozen people — including his son Mojtaba, who is widely viewed as a potential successor. The move would be triggered if Iran’s military or internal security units were seen as unwilling or unable to enforce orders, the report said.

An intelligence source cited by The Times said the leadership has already mapped out escape routes and logistical arrangements should conditions deteriorate rapidly. Former Israeli intelligence officer Beni Sabti told the newspaper that Russia would likely serve as Khamenei’s destination, saying Moscow remains the only country willing and able to provide him protection.

According to the report, the contingency planning reflects lessons drawn from the collapse of Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad, a close Iranian ally who fled Damascus for Moscow in December 2024 as opposition forces closed in on the capital.

Preparations reportedly include securing access to cash, overseas properties and other assets to enable a swift departure. Khamenei controls extensive holdings through a network of foundations, including Setad, a powerful quasi-state organization. A Reuters investigation in 2013 estimated the value of assets under his control at roughly $95 billion.

www.ynetnews.com/article/hkf5hnuv11g

Sorry I meant Russia not China!

Geez at that power

Smoking girl

https://nitter.net/BoredElonMusk/status/2009652946636886231#m

I glean that Iran is Russia's lever through various Islamist groups (brought to you by the letter H ) and South American drug cartels. Russia, in turn is China's lever while it quietly extends influence worldwide.
Iran/Persia is the keystone of a big arch.
The Iranian protesters and their protagonists have examples of previous successful regime changes/rebrands of existing power structures,
though moderates may not make good rebels, (it seems counter intuitive). Any new regime will need to choose their friends.
I hope there are more owls than hawks.

Haha. Attitude.

@HappyFace2025
I suspect if you check for Iranian protests there'll be one outside the Embassy today. It will be interesting to see if the BBC TV News report on it as they ignored it last week.

I was wrong about the protest in front of the BBC - it was, as you say, in front of the Embassy. If I was in London I’d join them.

I think the BBC are being forced to up their game with Iran given the controversies over Gaza. It's quite ironic that no one is taking the Iranian regimes accounts seriously yet the BBC were lapping up any statements from Hamas a proxy of this despicable regime.

I find that interesting too. The BBC and others acted like Hamas were credible sources by repeating everything they said as if they could be believed.

With Iran, they don’t exactly call them liars. But it’s clear the way they present the news that the leadership is lying. They provide context such as reminding us that last time there was an internet blackout it was so protesters could be killed without it being recorded. Most media such as the BBC don’t bother providing context with the Gaza war. So they will criticise Israel requiring personal details from NGO employees for example, without mentioning in the same story that MSF had to sack staff members accused of participating in 7/10.

Aside from whether Trump has any right to take action, it’s interesting that he was yapping about it but in reality has done nothing.

Apologies- it was UNRWA not MSF who had their funding stopped by the US and other countries as a result of allegations that 12 of their staff were involved in the 7/10 massacre.

Some countries such as the UK have now resumed the funding of UNRWA but only after some of the accused staff were sacked and the organisation agreed to a raft of reforms.

He has done nothing yet.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t about to do something. Trump’s unpredictability is the scariest thing about him so who knows what he is planning.

Are there many US assets still in the region? I guess one plan would be to reduce IRG morale by striking based so they are more reluctant to police (murder) protestors. Maybe decapitation of regime leads would lead to the confusion necessary to tip the regime over the edge?