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Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said \u201cseveral thousand people\u201d died in this month\u2019s anti-government demonstrations, his first acknowledgment of the deadly scale of the unrest. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of those were killed \u201cbrutally and inhumanely,\u201d Khamenei said without offering detail in a public meeting broadcast on state TV. He accused the US and Israel of aiding the killings and said the Islamic Republic has evidence to support the claim.<\/p>\n
Iran doesn\u2019t intend to push the country toward war, but won\u2019t allow either domestic or international criminals to go unpunished, Khamenei said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said US President Donald Trump was culpable for \u201cdeaths, damage, and accusations he has inflicted on the Iranian people,\u201d and that Washington\u2019s broader policy goal was to place Iran under military, political, and economic domination.<\/p>\n
The toll suggested by Khamenei was in line with estimates from human rights groups and others that some 3,500 people had perished. The groups estimate that more than 22,000 people have been detained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump\u00a0told Politico\u00a0that Iran needs new leadership and said Khamenei is guilty of \u201cthe complete destruction of the country and the use of violence at levels never seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The protests have taken place during a record long internet blackout for Iran\u2019s population of about 92 million people.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Trump Signals He\u2019ll Hold Off Another Attack on Iran for Now\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier, local media reported that internet connectivity had been partially restored, even as most residents appeared to remain largely cut off from the outside world for a ninth day.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s government shut down internet and mobile phone services on Jan. 8 to quell rising unrest sparked by a currency crisis late last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cInternet access has now been restored for some subscribers,\u201d the semi-official Mehr news agency said without specifying which restrictions had been lifted or whether users had regained access to international platforms and services. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The semi-official Fars news agency also reported that mobile text messages had been reactivated after being blocked earlier.<\/p>\n
The internet traffic monitoring group NetBlocks\u00a0said\u00a0there had been a \u201cvery slight rise\u201d in connectivity on Saturday, adding that overall access remained at about 2% of normal levels, with \u201cno indication of a significant return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Users in Iran appeared largely offline as of early Saturday afternoon local time, with few signs of activity evident on platforms such as Telegram, Instagram, and X \u2014 services they previously accessed via virtual private networks (VPNs).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Near?total communications blackouts have become a familiar tool for Islamic Republic authorities during critical situations, from this month\u2019s nationwide protests to the June conflict with Israel. That\u2019s cut off much of the population from the global internet, and diverted users onto a government?controlled domestic network that operates independently of the wider web.<\/p>\n
NetBlocks on Friday\u00a0said\u00a0the current blackout had surpassed the internet shutdown imposed during the country\u2019s 2019 protests.<\/p>\n
Read more:\u00a0Iran\u2019s Exiled Prince Is Buoyed by Nation Desperate for Change\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier on Saturday, Fars cited authorities who weren\u2019t identified as saying that internet and other communications services were being gradually restored, but that some restrictions would remain in place \u201cas long as security conditions require.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Fortune #Article #Fortune<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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