Iran’s supreme leader has accused demonstrators of “trying to please Trump” as they take to the streets of Tehran in droves amid the country’s economic instability.
The protests have already spread to other cities in Iran, increasing pressure facing the leadership.
The country was broadly isolated from the rest of the world on Friday when Iranian authorities rolled out a nationwide internet blackout, as state media called the protestors “terrorist agents” from the US and Israel.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the nation on television on Friday, accusing protesters of acting at the behest of Trump.
The 86-year-old slammed "vandals and rioters" who he said were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy".
In an ominous warning, he said Tehran would not permit its nationals to act as "mercenaries for foreigners".
According to Holly Dagras, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, the internet was blocked "to prevent the world from seeing the protests".
She added, "Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters."
The blackout also applied to international phone calls.
During the supreme leader’s address, audience members shouted "death to America".
Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, the judiciary chief of Iran, warned protestors that they face "maximum" and "decisive" punishment, "without any legal leniency" after the state address.
According to state news agency Tasnim, multiple police officers were shot dead by "armed protesters".
Almost 20 flights between Dubai and Iranian scheduled on Friday have been cancelled, the Dubai Airports website stated.
According to a report on state TV, so far, the unrest has seen "people's private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire".
The official statement added that there have been casualties.
According to Human Rights Activist News Agency, 34 protesters and four security personnel have been killed, with 2,200 arrests.
The demonstrations erupted in Tehran last month after a sharp decline in the national currency, the rial.
The protests have since spread, posing the most significant challenge in leadership to the government in recent years.
