Internet Shutdown Likely To Continue Amid Protests, Says Iranian Media

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had cancelled all meetings with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran until what he described as the “senseless killing” of protesters comes to an end.

“Keep protesting – Take over your institutions,” Trump wrote, calling on demonstrators to record the names of those involved in the crackdown. He added that “help is on its way” and repeated his call to “make Iran great again”.

Trump’s remarks come amid escalating nationwide protests in Iran and growing international scrutiny of the authorities’ response, which has included mass arrests, the use of live ammunition and a sweeping internet shutdown.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide details about the identities of those killed or the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The disclosure follows a severe, nearly two-week crackdown on nationwide protests, during which Iranian security forces have used force to suppress demonstrations.

Other sources cited by Iran International have previously put the death toll significantly higher, estimating that as many as 12,000 people may have been killed. Iranian authorities have not publicly responded to those claims.

Independent verification of casualty figures has been difficult amid restrictions on media access and widespread internet disruptions across the country.

According to Interfax, Russia’s Security Council said Shoigu also expressed sympathy with Iran over the killing of a large number of citizens amid the unrest.

The statement said Shoigu reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to expand bilateral cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and Iran.

Russia did not name any specific country. The remarks come after Donald Trump said the United States would intervene if the Islamic Republic uses lethal force against protesters.

Iran and Russia are widely regarded as close political partners on a range of regional and international issues.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the network said that in recent days it had received scattered but “shocking and disturbing” reports about the crackdown. It said it then undertook extensive efforts, including professional fact-checking, to reach what it described as a more accurate assessment of the scale of the violence and killings during the recent protests.

Iran International said information obtained from the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and the presidential office indicates that the killings were carried out on the direct order of Ali Khamenei, with the explicit knowledge and approval of the heads of all three branches of government.

According to the statement, the information also indicates that the Supreme National Security Council issued an order authorising the use of live ammunition against protesters.

The Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the figures cited by Iran International. The Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly rejected allegations of widespread unlawful killings during the protests.

In a statement posted on its X account on Monday, the IFJ said that as the situation in Iran continues to deteriorate, journalists are being forced into silence because of the internet blackout and the resulting inability of independent media outlets to operate.

The IFJ said the shutdown has severely restricted journalists’ ability to report and has cut the public off from reliable information at a critical time.

NetBlocks, a global internet monitoring organisation, said on Monday, January 12, that the outage in Iran had exceeded 84 hours, with nationwide user connectivity remaining at just 1 percent of normal levels.