Internet blackout in Iran: Nationwide SHUT DOWN of internet, telephone calls amid escalating protests against Islamic government

Iran is experiencing a nationwide internet blackout on Thursday night amid escalating protests and demonstrations against islamic government over economic instability.

Online monitoring group NetBlocks has said that internet access and international telephone calls have been cut off in Iran after several protesters came out on streets Thursday, chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers.

In a post on social media on Thursday, NetBlocks noted that the apparent blackout follows “a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public’s right to communicate at a critical moment”.

Anti-government protest is the biggest wave of demonstrations in three years. The protest began last month in Tehran's Grand Bazaar with shopkeepers condemning the fall of rial currency, economic privations due to high inflation driven by mismanagement and Western sanctions, and curbs on political and social freedoms. US President Donal Trump has also threatened to aid protesters if security forces fire on them, as Reuters reported.