Protests erupt in Iran’s capital after exiled prince calls for demonstrations.
ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy explains the significance of Thursday’s events in Iran
Protests have erupted in the Iranian capital of Tehran following a call by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi for mass demonstrations.
Witnesses said people shouted from their homes and gathered in the streets on Thursday night, as protests spread across parts of Tehran.
Internet access and telephone lines were cut shortly after the demonstrations began.
The unrest marked the first real test of whether Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile, can mobilise public support inside Iran.
His fatally ill father, the last shah of Iran, fled the country shortly before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some demonstrators were heard chanting slogans in support of the shah, something that once could have carried the death penalty.
Analysts say the chants underline the depth of anger driving the protests, which have been fuelled by Iran’s worsening economic conditions.
Demonstrations continued on Thursday after protests erupted in cities and rural towns across Iran on Wednesday.
More markets and bazaars closed in support of the protesters.
At least 41 people have been killed in violence linked to the unrest, while more than 2,270 others have been detained, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The expanding protests are increasing pressure on Iran’s civilian government and the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported widespread internet outages, both attributing the disruption to interference by the Iranian authorities.
Attempts to connect to landlines and mobile phones from Dubai to Iran were unsuccessful. Similar shutdowns in the past have in the past been followed by intense government crackdowns.
The protests have remained largely leaderless, and it is unclear what impact Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s call will have on the demonstrations in the days ahead.
“The lack of a viable alternative has undermined past protests in Iran,” Nate Swanson of the Washington-based Atlantic Council wrote, who studies Iran.
