PARIS - Iranians took to the streets in new protests to press the biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, as authorities sustained an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump said it looked like Iran's leaders were "in big trouble" and repeated an earlier threat of military strikes if peaceful protesters are killed.
"It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago," Trump said.
Protests have taken place across Iran for 13 days in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, with growing calls for the end of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, which ousted the pro-Western shah.
In Tehran's northern Sa'adat Abad district, people banged pots and chanted slogans deriding supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as cars honked in support, a video verified by AFP showed.
Other social media images showed similar protests elsewhere in Tehran, while videos published by Persian language television channels based outside Iran showed large numbers taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north and the holy city of Qom.
These protests followed giant demonstrations on Thursday that were the biggest in Iran since the 2022-2023 protest movement sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress rules for women.
The rallies came as internet monitor NetBlocks said authorities imposed a "nationwide internet shutdown" for the last 24 hours that was violating the rights of Iranians and "masking regime violence".
Amnesty International said the "blanket internet shutdown" aims to "hide the true extent of the grave human rights violations and crimes under international law they are carrying out to crush" the protests.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, raising a previous toll of 45 issued the day earlier, said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed by security forces and hundreds more injured.
In a joint statement Friday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada and the European Union issued a strong condemnation and called on Iran to "immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force by its security forces".
"Too many lives -- over 40 to date -- have already been lost."