As the Iranian authorities impose a near-total communication blackout on a country convulsed by mass protests, videos and witness accounts slowly emerging suggest that the government is waging one of its deadliest crackdowns on unrest in more than a decade.

After days of nationwide protests that posed the most serious challenge to Iran’s leadership in years, Tehran cautiously returned to normal on Tuesday, even as global criticism mounted over the violent suppression of demonstrators.

Speaking to Western media from beyond the nationwide internet blackout imposed by the Islamic regime, Iranian protesters said they needed support amid a brutal crackdown.

The rial has lost nearly half its value in the past year, hit by Western sanctions, prompting protests in commercial districts and warnings from the authorities.

Footage shows authorities dispersing crowd with tear gas; protesters chant anti-regime slogans in largest demonstrations since Mahsa Amini protests in 2023

The exercises were made as a deterrent move by the Ayatollah's regime, while Iranians keep protesting nationwide for the eighth day in a row.

Iran's opposition has remained fragmented among rival groups and ideological factions for decades, across repeated outbreaks of nationwide protests.

Demonstrators recount experiences on the frontlines as protest movement rapidly moves beyond government’s control

What began as a strike by merchants in Tehran has quickly escalated into nationwide protests and deadly clashes with security forces across Iran. Since Sunday, demonstrators have taken to the streets in more than 30 cities, turning an economic protest into broader political unrest.