Iran protests sweep nation despite internet shutdown as state TV warns of 'casualties'

Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets into Friday morning after a call by the countrys exiled crown prince for demonstrations despite Irans theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone callsShort online videos shared by activists purported to show protesters chanting against Irans government around bonfires as debris littered the streets in the capital Tehran and other areasIranian state media broke its silence Friday over the protests alleging terrorist agents of the US and Israel set fires and sparked violenceIt also said there were casualties without elaboratingThe full scope of the demonstrations couldnt be immediately determined due to the communications blackout though it represented yet another escalation in protests that began over Irans ailing economy and that has morphed into the most significant challenge to the government in several yearsThe protests have intensified steadily since beginning December 28The protests also represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could be swayed by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the countrys 1979 Islamic RevolutionDemonstrations have included cries in support of the shah something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fuelling the protests that began over Irans ailing economySo far violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 42 people while more than 2270 others have been detained said the USbased Human Rights Activists News AgencyPahlavi who called for protests Thursday night similarly has called for demonstrations at 8 pm FridayWhat turned the tide of the protests was former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavis calls for Iranians to take to the streets at 8 pm on Thursday and Friday said Holly Dagres a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Per social media posts it became clear that Iranians had delivered and were taking the call seriously to protest in order to oust the Islamic RepublicThis is exactly why the internet was shut down to prevent the world from seeing the protests Unfortunately it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protestersThursday night protests preceded internet shutdownWhen the clock struck 8 pm Thursday neighbourhoods across Tehran erupted in chanting witnesses said The chants included Death to the dictator and Death to the Islamic Republic Others praised the shah shouting This is the last battle Pahlavi will return Thousands could be seen on the streets before all communication to Iran cut outIranians demanded their freedom tonight In response the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication Pahlavi said It has shut down the Internet It has cut landlines It may even attempt to jam satellite signalsHe went on to call for European leaders to join US President Donald Trump in promising to hold the regime to accountI call on them to use all technical financial and diplomatic resources available to restore communication to the Iranian people so that their voice and their will can be heard and seen he added Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silencedPahlavi had said he would offer further plans depending on the response to his call His support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past particularly after the 12day war Israel waged on Iran in JuneDemonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some demonstrations but it isnt clear whether thats support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic RevolutionThe internet cut also appears to have taken Irans staterun and semiofficial news agencies offline as well The state TV acknowledgment at 8 am Friday represented the first official word about the demonstrationsState TV claimed the protests saw violence that caused casualties but did not elaborate It also said the protests saw peoples private cars motorcycles public places such as the metro fire trucks and buses set on fireTrump renews threat over protester deathsIran has faced rounds of nationwide protests in recent years As sanctions tightened and Iran struggled after the 12day war its rial currency collapsed in December reaching 14 million to USD 1 Protests began soon after with demonstrators chanting against Irans theocracyIt remains unclear why Iranian officials have yet to crack down harder on the demonstrators Trump warned last week that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters America will come to their rescueIn an interview with talk show host Hugh Hewitt aired Thursday Trump reiterated his pledgeIran has been told very strongly even more strongly than Im speaking to you right now that if they do that theyre going to have to pay hell Trump saidTrump demurred when asked if hed meet with PahlaviIm not sure that it would be appropriate at this point to do that as president Trump saidI think that we should let everybody go out there and we see who emergesSpeaking in an interview with Sean Hannity aired Thursday night on Fox News Trump went as far as to suggest 86yearold Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be looking to leave IranHes looking to go someplace Trump said Its getting very badThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever