DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days on Tuesday after authorities severed communications during a crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say killed at least 646 people, giving a glimpse of life after being cut off from the outside world.
Witnesses described a heavy security presence in center of Iran’s capital Tehran, burned-out government buildings, smashed automated teller machines and few passersby. Meanwhile, people remain concerned about what comes next, including the possibility of strikes after United States President Donald Trump said he could possibly use the military to defend peaceful protesters. He has also said Tehran wants to negotiate with Washington.
“My customers talk about Trump’s reaction while wondering if he plans a military strike against the Islamic Republic,” said shopkeeper Mahmoud, who gave only his first name out of concerns for his safety. “I don’t expect Trump or any other foreign country cares about the interests of Iranians.”
Reza, a taxi driver who also gave just his first name, said protests remain on many people’s minds. “People — particularly young ones — are hopeless, but they talk about continuing the protests,” he said.
Iranians reach out, but world can’t reach in
Several people in Tehran were able to call the Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday morning and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in the Emirati city of Dubai was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said text messaging was still down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally, but nothing abroad.
Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers, witnesses say. Police stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.
Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. Banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.
But shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began on Dec. 28, was to open on Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.
The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
It also appeared that security service personnel were searching for Starlink terminals as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in their homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.
On the streets, people also could be seen challenging plainclothes security officials, who were stopping passersby at random.
State television also read a statement about mortuary and morgue services being free — a signal some likely charged high fees for the release of bodies amid the crackdown.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement carried by state television, praised the tens of thousands who took part in pro-government demonstrations nationwide on Monday.
“This was a warning to American politicians to stop their deceit and not rely on traitorous mercenaries,” he said. “The Iranian nation is strong and powerful and aware of the enemy.”
