TEHRAN / WASHINGTON — On Saturday, January 10, 2026, Iran entered its third day of a near-total nationwide internet blackout as authorities struggle to contain the most significant wave of anti-government unrest since 2022. What began twelve days ago as a localized strike over a currency collapse and triple-digit inflation has evolved into a full-scale defiance of the Islamic Republic’s leadership.
The Economic Catalyst
The current crisis was sparked in late December 2025 by the free-fall of the Iranian rial and soaring food prices. Protests first erupted in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, historically a bellwether for political stability, before spreading rapidly to over 340 locations across all 31 provinces.
Reports from earlier this week, before the digital curtain fell, indicated that even conservative strongholds like Mashhad and Qom have seen massive crowds calling for regime change.
“Digital Iron Curtain”
At approximately 8:30 PM local time on January 8, internet monitoring group NetBlocks confirmed a nationwide blackout. Connectivity plummeted to just 1% of normal levels, effectively severing the Iranian people from the outside world.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have warned that the shutdown is a “prelude to a massacre,” designed to mask the brutality of security forces. Current estimates from NGOs suggest at least 45 people have been killed, though the true figure is expected to be much higher given the communication vacuum.
Trump Issues Military Warning
The international response has been swift and unusually aggressive. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Tehran, warning that the United States is “locked and loaded” to intervene.
“If they do anything bad to these people, we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump stated during a recent broadcast. “I have let them know that if they start killing people… we are going to come to their rescue.”
The administration clarified that while “boots on the ground” are not currently planned, the U.S. is prepared to conduct precision strikes if the crackdown reaches a “wholesale slaughter of civilians.”
Diplomatic Condemnation
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this stance, emphasizing that the days of “strategic patience” are over. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Rubio declared, “The United States supports the brave people of Iran. Do not play games with President Trump.”
Across the Atlantic, European leaders have broken their typical reserve:
- EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas denounced the “heavy-handed” response, stating that the internet shutdown exposes a regime “afraid of its own people.”
- Germany and other European nations have officially condemned the “excessive use of force” and called for the immediate restoration of digital rights.
Tehran Strikes Back
The Iranian leadership remains defiant. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the protests as the work of “vandals and agitators” backed by the U.S. and Israel. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled Trump’s threats “reckless and dangerous,” asserting that the Iranian military is on standby to protect national sovereignty against “foreign sedition.”
As of Saturday afternoon, unverified reports filtered out via satellite links suggest that security forces in some western provinces have begun to retreat as they face “bandwidth constraints” and overwhelming numbers of protesters.
