Iran is facing a nationwide internet outage, with reports indicating that phone services have also been disrupted.
"Live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout," London-based internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on X late Thursday.
Media reports said mobile phone services were disrupted soon after the internet shutdown, though Iranian authorities have not issued any official statement.
The reported outage follows a period of protests in Iran since late December, linked to the falling value of the rial and ongoing economic challenges.
The death toll from protests in Iran has risen to 38, a rights group focusing on Iran reported on Wednesday.
Protests spread nationwide
Iran has been rocked by waves of protests since last month, starting on December 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, over the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions.
Demonstrations later spread to several other cities across the country.
A US-based rights group monitoring Iran has reported that several demonstrators have died.
Iranian authorities have not confirmed the casualty figures or issued official details regarding those killed or injured.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the “interference in Iran’s internal affairs” by the US amid protests in various cities.
Tehran emphasized in a statement on the Foreign Ministry website that the US “harbors hostility toward the Iranian people” and denounced what it described as the US’s deceptive conduct and policies toward Iran.
