ALBAWABA - Authorities in Iran say that a lot of security guards have been killed during the continuing protests across the country. At the same time, the internet is being shut down across the country for the third day in a row, making it even harder to see what's happening on the ground.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency in Iran says that 109 police and security forces members have been killed in the unrest that has spread to several areas over the past two weeks. The agency called the events "violent disturbances" that happened in several areas.
State TV had already confirmed that 30 security guards were killed in Isfahan province, and top police officials said that more people had died in recent clashes. Authorities also said that dozens of security officers were hurt and that a lot of protesters were arrested on charges of stirring up violence.
One of their workers was killed in an attack on emergency centers in the northern city of Gorgan, according to the Iranian Red Crescent. This makes people worry about the safety of humanitarian workers.
Protests keep going while the internet stays down.
The protests, which are now in their 15th day, began because the economy was getting worse, inflation was rising, and the value of the national currency dropped sharply. People have been protesting in Tehran and a number of other important cities, such as Isfahan, Mashhad, Kermanshah, and Arak.
Even though the government says the unrest is slowly going away, activists are still sharing video clips of random gatherings and fights that they can only do when they can connect to the internet.
The non-government internet monitoring group NetBlocks said that most of Iran's internet has been down for more than 60 hours. They called the blackout one of the strictest limits put in place in recent years. The group said that the problem puts people's safety and their ability to get information at a very important time at great risk.
Different numbers of deaths
Officials in Iran have focused on the deaths of security troops, but rights groups outside of Iran have given different numbers. Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is based in the US, said that since the protests started, more than 116 people have been killed and thousands have been arrested.
But the Iranian government says that "foreign-linked elements" have used valid public complaints to weaken security and stability. This is something that is often said in official statements.
Rhetoric and outside tensions are getting worse.
During the unrest, Iran's parliamentary leaders sent strong warnings to the US and Israel, saying that any military action from a foreign country would be met with a strong reaction. While anti-American slogans were being chanted inside parliament, the speakers' words showed a clear shift in tone.
At the same time, officials in Iran said that Washington was stirring up trouble, and former US President Donald Trump officially backed the protesters, which made things more difficult between the two countries.
US news outlets said that American officials have talked about possible military scenarios involving Iran. However, multiple sources made it clear that no instant action has been approved and that the talks are still in the planning stages.
