Seoul Gazette - Limited internet returns in Iran after protest blackout

Iran's president warned that an attack on the country's supreme leader would be a declaration of war -- an apparent response to US counterpart Donald Trump saying it was time to look for new leadership in Iran.

Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years.

The rallies subsided after the crackdown that rights groups have called a "massacre" carried out by security forces under the cover of a communications blackout that started on January 8 as the protests grew in size and intensity.

Iranian officials have said the demonstrations were peaceful before turning into "riots" and blamed foreign influence from Iran's arch-foes the United States and Israel.

Trump, who backed and joined Israel's 12-day war against Iran in June, had repeatedly threatened new military action against Tehran if protesters were killed.

While Washington appeared to have stepped back, Trump hit out at supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- in power for 37 years -- in an interview with Politico on Saturday, saying it was "time to look for new leadership in Iran".

"The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people," Trump said. "His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Sunday in an X post: "An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation."

As leaders in Washington and Tehran have exchanged barbs, Iranian officials have said calm has been restored in the streets.

Security forces with armoured vehicles and motorcycles were seen in central Tehran, according to AFP correspondents.

One new banner in central Tehran showed a set of dominoes with images including the former shah of Iran, ousted Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein and Trump with the caption, "dominoes falling".

Schools reopened on Sunday -- Iran's weekend falling on Thursday and Friday -- after a week of closure and authorities said "internet access would also be gradually restored", Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

- 'Cannot just stay silent' -

Monitor Netblocks said some online services, including Google, had partially returned in Iran, though overall connectivity remained disrupted.

Some users reported access to WhatsApp, while outgoing international calls had resumed since Tuesday, and text messaging was restored Saturday.

Solidarity demonstrations have continued in multiple cities in recent days, including in Berlin, London and Paris.

"While our people and our loved ones are stuck there, are imprisoned as a whole nation there, we cannot just stay silent," said a 32-year-old protester of Iranian origin who did not want to give her name.

Despite the restrictions, information had still filtered out, with reports of atrocities emerging, according to rights groups.

Amnesty International said it had verified dozens of videos and accounts in recent days showing a "massacre of protesters" by security forces.

Norway-based Iran Human Rights says it has verified the deaths of 3,428 protesters killed by security forces, confirming cases through sources within the Islamic republic's health and medical system, witnesses and independent sources.

However, the NGO warns the true toll is likely far higher. Media cannot independently confirm the figure and Iranian officials have not given an exact death toll for the protests.

Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 -- and possibly as high as 20,000 -- though the internet blackout has severely hampered independent verification, IHR says.

The opposition Iran International channel based outside the country has said at least 12,000 people were killed during the protests, citing senior government and security sources.

Iran's judiciary has rejected that figure.

- 'Not be spared' -

On Saturday, Khamenei said "a few thousand" people had been killed by what he called "agents" of the United States and Israel, and Iranian local media has reported multiple deaths among security forces.

Khamenei said authorities "must break the back of the seditionists", as local media have reported thousands of arrests and rights groups have estimated up to 20,000 people have been detained.

On Sunday, Iran's judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir reiterated that swift trials would be held, warning that some acts warranted the capital offence of "moharebeh", or "waging war against God".

"All those who played a decisive role in these calls for violence, which led to bloodshed and significant damage to public finances, will not be spared," he said.

Alarm has grown over the threat of capital punishment against arrested protesters, even as Trump said Iran had called off hundreds of executions.

Analyst Arif Keskin cast doubt on Trump's claim, saying "the Iranian leadership sees executions... as an effective tool to end protests, prevent them and suppress them".

"For the regime, executions will carry short-term international costs but are seen as a long-term investment in domestic security," the Ankara-based Iranian researcher and Middle East specialist told AFP.

"The risk therefore remains very real."

burs-sw/amj

D.Sunwoo--SG