Iranian Government Shuts Down Internet and International Calls as Nationwide Protests Ignite After Reza Pahlavi's Call

Mass anti-government demonstrations erupted across Iran after exiled Reza Pahlavi called for nationwide protests at 8 p.m.

“Iran's government cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls Friday as a night-time demonstration called by the country's exiled crown prince drew a mass of protesters to shout from their windows and storm the streets”

1News

Thousands were reported in Tehran and other cities and towns.

1News

Protesters chanted anti-regime slogans and, in some places, voiced praise for the shah.

Within hours, authorities imposed widespread cuts to internet and international phone service.

Monitoring groups and tech firms attributed the communications outages to government interference.

Reports of casualties and mass detentions vary across outlets.

Rights groups cited by multiple Western mainstream and regional outlets put deaths in the high 30s or low 40s and detentions at more than 2,200.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Exact figures differ by source, and some reports note that security‑force personnel are among the fatalities.

Authorities imposed broad communications restrictions and used conventional crowd-control measures.

“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”

BBC

Monitoring groups NetBlocks and Cloudflare were cited by multiple outlets, which attributed the outages to government interference.

Local reports and witnesses described security forces using tear gas and carrying out targeted arrests as calls from abroad and landline connections reportedly failed.

The protests are described across outlets as broadly leaderless but energized by Pahlavi’s call.

Analysts and outlets differ on whether his appeal can translate into organized leadership.

CBC

Some reports note criticism of his past ties and the practical challenges of building an alternative after decades of repression.

International reactions were swift and stark.

“Updated on: January 8, 2026 / 8:57 PM EST/ CBS/AP Iranian authorities cut off phone service and internet access Thursday in the capital and in several parts of the country as massprotests and chanting against the governmentcontinue, with dozens of people killed in the demonstrations and thousands arrested”

CBS News

U.S. political figures publicly warned Tehran against killing protesters.

CBS News

Quoted language varied by outlet, ranging from threats to "hit them very hard" (CBS) to warnings that Iran would "pay hell" (ABC).

Iran International included an unverified claim, attributed to a British lawmaker, about Russian cargo planes and large amounts of gold arriving and leaving Iran.

That detail was not echoed in mainstream Western outlets.