Anti-regime protests have been raging for days now in Iran as the populace rises up against the repression and economic decline that the mullahs have wrought on the formerly free and prosperous Middle Eastern country.
On Thursday, widespread reports indicate the internet is down across large swaths of the Islamic Republic as the demonstrations increase in intensity. It’s unclear if the despotic leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or one of his minions ordered it cut off.
In any case, it’s unavailable for most:
Iranian authorities appeared to be cutting off internet access Thursday in the capital and some other regions of the country as mass protests and chanting against the government continue. Multiple sources in Tehran told CBS News the internet was down in the capital.
The NetBlocks monitoring organization said at about 8:30 local time in Iran that its live data "show #Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout; the incident 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."
THE BEGINNING OF THE END?
New Development: Tehran Unleashes Foreign Fighters on Protestors
Meanwhile, protests are reaching a fever pitch as the angered populace has become emboldened. The images emerging are striking:
BREAKING:
— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) January 8, 2026
The people of Tehran are burning down regime buildings right now. The crowd is MASSIVE.
pic.twitter.com/V5j6nwbLb4
This is Tehran. Let that sink in. You are watching a revolution unfold live while the world’s media stays dead silent. Legacy media has become nothing more than a propaganda machine, because what news could possibly be bigger than this? @FoxNews @CNN pic.twitter.com/1X5PlzQAhw
— ثنا ابراهیمی | Sana Ebrahimi (@__Injaneb96) January 8, 2026
Donald Trump is supporting the rebels, whereas many felt Barack Obama abandoned resisters back during similar 2009 uprisings. During a Thursday interview with Salem Media radio host Hugh Hewitt, the president said he would come hard after the mullahs if they started shooting protesters:
NOW - Trump says U.S. will strike Iran "very hard," and make them "pay hell," if they kill any protesters. pic.twitter.com/poKNBSkIV9
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 8, 2026
Trump:
Well, I don't want to say it, but I will tell you they're not doing well, as you know probably better than anybody. They're doing very poorly, and I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots they — have lots of riots — if they do it, we're gonna hit them very hard.
The protests have already caused numerous deaths as the mullahs attempt to crack down, as they usually do. They’re having a harder time of it this go around, however, which may be a reason they’d cut off the internet.
So far the unrest has left at least 39 people dead, including at least four members of the security services, and seen more than 2,260 others detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Is this the beginning of the end of the Islamic Republic? Very, very few people would shed tears if it were. They’ve been nothing but a menace to the decent world since they came into existence 46 years ago.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
Help us report on Trump and Hegseth's successes as they make our military great again. Join RedState's VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member