Iran protests latest: Army warns of ‘enemy plots’ after Tehran threatens protesters with death penalty

Iran’s army is insisting it will safeguard the country’s national interests, strategic infrastructure and public property with widespread protests still ongoing.

It also urged citizens to be vigilant to thwart what it called “the enemy’s plots” on Saturday.

Buildings, buses and shops have been burned to the ground turning Iran’s capital Tehran into a “war zone” as protests break out across the country demanding the fall of the country’s supreme leader ayatollah Ali Khameini.

At least 65 people have been killed in violent clashes with police, according to human rights groups.

This unrest follows a tumultuous period for Tehran, which is still recovering from a 12-day conflict in June, initiated by Israel, that saw US forces bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.

Here’s what to know about the protests and the challenges facing Iran’s government.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Iran’s nationwide internet blackout remained in place on Saturday morning, 36 hours after it was imposed.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, NetBlocks said connectivity restrictions were severely limiting Iranians’ ability to check on the safety of friends and loved ones as the country woke up to continued unrest.

“It’s now 8:00 am in Iran where the sun is rising after another night of protests met with repression,” the group said, adding that network data showed the blackout was still firmly in effect.

The prolonged shutdown has made independent verification of events on the ground increasingly difficult as protests continue across the country.

The death toll from protests in Iran has risen to 65, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

In a report published on Saturday, the US-based group said demonstrations have continued for 13 consecutive days, taking place in 512 locations across 180 cities in all 31 provinces.

HRANA said those killed include 50 protesters, 14 law enforcement and security personnel, and one government-affiliated civilian.

At least 2,311 people have been detained, with dozens more injured.

The group said many of the injuries were caused by pellet shots and plastic bullets.

Iranian authorities have not issued official figures or commented on the reported deaths or injuries.

Iranian authorities have intensified a crackdown on protests across the country, threatening participants with the death penalty and maintaining a nationwide internet blackout ahead of expected further unrest.

A Tehran prosecutor later warned that those accused of damaging public property during the unrest could face the death penalty, according to a Bloomberg report.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also issued a statement calling the situation “unacceptable” and said it reserved the right to avenge what it described as “terrorist incidents”.

This comes as US president Donald Trump warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the US will “start shooting” if demonstrators in Iran are targeted by government forces as nationwide protests demanding regime change continued into their 13th day.

Reza Pahlavi has called on Iranians to escalate protests against the Islamic Republic, urging nationwide strikes and a larger street presence on Saturday.

In a social media post on X, he addressed his “dear compatriots,” and wrote that their actions were a “resounding response to the threats of the treacherous and criminal leader of the Islamic Republic”.

He called on workers in key sectors, including transport, oil, gas, and energy, to begin a nationwide strike aimed at cutting off the state’s financial lifelines.

“Our goal is no longer merely to come to the streets; the goal is to prepare for seizing the centers of cities and holding them,” he wrote, according to an online translation of his original Arabic text.

“To achieve this goal, move toward the more central parts of the cities from different routes as much as possible and connect separate crowds. At the same time, prepare now to stay in the streets and gather the necessary supplies.”

He said he was preparing to return to Iran, adding that he believed change was “very near”.

As I watch protesters risk everything by taking to the streets, I believe the regime is collapsing under the weight of its own cruelty – but my brave countryfolk urgently need the UK’s support, says British-Iranian dissident Vahid Beheshti

Donald Trump warned Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the US will “start shooting” if demonstrators in Iran are targeted by government forces.

Trump said that the head of the Islamic Republic is “looking to go someplace” to escape, adding that Iran is on the “verge of collapse”.

“Nobody’s ever seen anything like what’s happening right now, but I have put Iran on notice that if they start shooting at them – these people are totally unarmed people, and they love their country,” he said in an interview with Sean Hannity for Fox News.

“They want something to happen. Look at their country. They’ve gone back 150 years. But I’ve warned them that if they do anything bad to these people, we’re going to hit them very hard. I’ve said it very loud and very clear, that’s what we’re going to do.”

He later warned Iran’s leaders that they “better not start shooting because we’ll start shooting too”.

Iran’s Islamic regime looks to be tottering. In recent weeks, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to express their anger at worsening economic conditions, sparked by international sanctions that have seen their currency collapse and the cost of basic goods shoot up.

At least 38 protesters demanding regime change have been killed so far in violent clashes with police, and 2,200 arrested. Faced with what is fast becoming one of the biggest challenges ever to Iran and its clerical leadership, the ayatollahs – in a rare moment of weakness – pulled the plug on the internet, as government buildings in Tehran were set on fire.

Of course, the Islamic Republic has survived protest waves in the past. In 2009, allegations of election fraud sparked massive street protests and a hugely brutal response by Ayatollah Khamenei’s security forces. In 2022, more than 500 people were reportedly killed in protests after the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for refusing to wear the obligatory headscarf.