Internet and phone connections cut in Iran as protests intensify

Internet access and phone lines were cut in Iran as anti-government protests intensified on Thursday night.

Protesters took to the streets in the capital Tehran and the major cities of Mashhad and Isfahan, witnesses reported. They chanted slogans against the country's clerical rulers that included "death to the dictator" and "death to the Islamic Republic".

A nationwide internet blackout was reported by internet monitoring group NetBlocks, and internet firm CloudFlare, as protests over economic hardships continued around the country. Both attributed the outage to Iranian government interference.

Attempts to dial landlines and mobile phones from Dubai to Iran could not be connected. Iran's economic crisis has sparked demonstrations against its theocratic government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The current protests, the biggest wave of dissent in three years, began last month in Tehran's ‍Grand Bazaar with shopkeepers condemning the rial currency's free fall. Unrest has since spread nationwide amid deepening distress over rocketing inflation.

Exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi - whose father fled Iran just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution - has urged Iranians to protest. One chant heard on the streets praised the prince: "This is the last battle.

Pahlavi will return". Demonstrators in Tehran erupted into chants when the clock stuck 8pm, witnesses said.

"Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands," Mr Pahlavi said in a statement.

"I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered." Praising the prince could be met with a death sentence under the current regime.Iran's economy has struggled under US sanctions and in the wake of the 12-day war with Israel.

In December, the rial currency collapsed to its lowest ever against the American dollar, reaching 1.4 million to $1. So far, violence from the demonstrations has killed at least 39 people and more than 2,260 people, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Read more:Inside Iran's protests: Gunfire, hospital raids and angerEverything you need to know about Iran protests Inflation has also skyrocketed to about 40%, intensifying the unrest and spreading fears about food insecurity. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned domestic suppliers against ⁠hoarding or overpricing goods on Thursday, according to state media.

"People should not feel any shortage in terms ‍of goods, supply and distribution," he said Iranian officials have offered no acknowledgment of the scale of the protests, and have not reported security officials being hurt or killed. US President Donald Trump has vowed to come to the aid of protesters if security forces opened fire on them.

Some incidents have been reported by local media, including Iranian outlet Mizan news agency reporting a police colonel had suffered fatal stab wounds in a town outside of Tehran. The Fars news agency said gunmen had killed two security force members and wounded 30 others in a shooting in the city of Lordegan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

A deputy governor in Iran's Khorasan Razavi province told Iranian state television that an attack at a police station killed five people Wednesday night in Chenaran about 430 miles (700km) northeast of Tehran..