Here's what we know
• Anti-government protests in Iran erupted for a 13th consecutive day on Friday, in a wave of nationwide unrest over crippling economic conditions. At least 45 protesters have died, including eight children, Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO reports.
• Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused demonstrators of trying to “please” US President Donald Trump, who reiterated his threat on Friday about attacking Iran if security forces kill protesters. Khamenei also said Trump should “focus on the problems of his own country.”
• Authorities cut internet access and telephone lines in Tehran and other cities on Thursday. The communications blackout still continues.
Our live coverage has ended for the day. Read the latest on protests in Iran here.
X appears to have changed Iran’s flag emoji to pre-revolution version
Elon Musk’s social networking site X appears to have changed Iran’s flag emoji to a pre-revolution version.
X’s head of product Nikita Bier had announced he was working on the change on Thursday night in response to a user’s request. The update appears to be live on Friday evening, with some official Iranian government accounts, such as its foreign ministry, sporting the old version of the national flag as a result.
The flag before the Iranian Revolution was a horizontal tricolor of green, white and red with a lion-and-sun symbol. The old flag is popular among some in the Iranian diaspora who oppose the country’s current regime.
After the revolution deposed the Iranian monarchy, the new clergy-led government replaced the lion-and-sun symbol with a new coat of arms and included a kufic script inscription of “Allahu Akbar” along the inside edges of the stripes.
Trump warns Iranian leaders that US "will start shooting, too"
President Donald Trump on Friday said the US is closely watching the situation in Iran and again warned leadership against using violence on demonstrators.
“And again, I tell the Iranian leaders, you better not start shooting, because we’ll start shooting too,” Trump said during a meeting with oil executives at the White House.
But he added that wouldn’t mean US “boots on the ground.”
Commenting on the protests, Trump said, “Iran’s in big trouble.”
“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.
Trump did not specify which cities he was referring to. It is unclear whether protesters have taken control of any Iranian city.
Pro-government demonstrations seen in some cities in Iran
As large antigovernment protests erupted across Iran, some demonstrators gathered in apparent counterprotests to express support for the government on Friday.
Video from state television channel Press TV showed counterprotesters marching in the cities of Arak and Sari after Friday prayers. Some demonstrators display the Iranian flag or a portrait of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Pro-reform news outlet IranWire confirmed that pro-government demonstrations were held in several Iranian cities.
The scale of the counterprotests is unclear. Press TV reported tens of thousands of pro-government Iranians took to the streets across the country to show their support. CNN is unable to independently verify this figure.
Shopkeepers, who traditionally support Iran's regime, sparked the protests. Here's why that's significant
Anti-government protests in Iran challenging the regime have spread to more than 100 cities. The fact that they began with the bazaaris – a powerful force for change in Iran’s history and one seen as loyal to the regime – is notable.
How it began: When the central bank decided to end a program allowing some importers to access cheaper US dollars compared to the rest of the market, shopkeepers increased prices and some shuttered their doors, initiating the demonstrations. The move by the bazaaris, as they are known, was a drastic measure for a group traditionally supportive of the Islamic Republic.
The enduring alliance between the bazaaris and the clergy in Iran had the shopkeepers play a crucial role as kingmaker across Iran’s history. It was their support to those very clergymen that eventually helped the Islamic Revolution of 1979 succeed, giving the rebels a financial backbone that led to the fall of the shah, or monarch.
Their role as a major political force has since become more symbolic, but the impact of fluctuations in currency on their business is what led them to spark the protests that have since turned deadly.
Protests continue into the evening as demonstrators call for end of Islamic Republic
Protests continued in several Iranian cities on Friday, with videos showing protesters calling for the end of Iran’s leadership and the return of an exiled prince whose father led pre-revolution Iran.
Videos from the pro-reform activist outlet IranWire show women marching in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar during the day on Friday and chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Poverty, corruption, rising prices, we’ll keep going until the overthrow.”
A vehicle is seen being set on fire as a number of individuals appear to be throwing objects.
In northern Tehran, some protesters marched through the streets on Friday evening, chanting “Pahlavi will return!” in a video posted to social media and geolocated by CNN.
Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s late shah, has positioned himself as a viable alternative to the ruling regime, declaring support for the protests and issuing direct calls for coordinated nationwide action.
German, French and UK leaders condemn violence against protesters in Iran
The leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom condemned Iranian authorities’ violence against protesters in a joint statement on Friday.
“We are deeply concerned about reports of violence by Iranian security forces, and strongly condemn the killing of protestors,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote in a post on X.
He along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron urged Iranian authorities to “refrain from violence” against demonstrators and “uphold the fundamental rights of Iran’s citizens.”
Downing Street later sent CNN a copy of the statement as well.
Here's what the protests in Iran could mean for the regime
Anti-government protests in Iran erupted for a 13th consecutive day on Friday, in a wave of nationwide unrest that marks the biggest challenge to the regime in years. People across more than 100 cities have participated in the demonstrations.
The protests began as demonstrations in Tehran’s bazaars over rampant inflation. It came to a head last week, when the prices of basic goods like cooking oil and chicken dramatically spiked overnight, with some products vanishing from shelves all together.
A central bank decision to end a program allowing some importers to access cheaper US dollars compared to the rest of the market led shopkeepers to increase prices and some to shutter their doors, initiating the demonstrations.
Corruption across all parts of government, mismanagement of funds, and the convergence of environmental problems and stagnant leadership have the government on the brink. External factors like crippling sanctions and a potential new war with the United States and Israel, have left the state paranoid, and the population anxious.
“None of Iran’s political leaders have a blueprint to get Iran out the crises,” said Arang Keshavarzian, associate professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at New York University and author of “Bazaar and State in Iran.”
Protests pose “existential” threat for Iran’s “zombie” regime, says analyst
Iran’s “zombie” regime is facing its most dangerous moment since it came to power in 1979, according to an analyst.
“This is probably the most existential moment the Iranian regime has faced since the 1979 revolution,” Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN’s Bianna Golodryga and Zain Asher.
Sadjadpour described Iran’s leadership as a “zombie” regime: “It has a dying ideology. It has dying legitimacy, a dying economy, a dying leader, but it still does maintain this lethal capacity.”
Despite its vital signs seeming poor, Sadjadpour said that pressure from below – in the form of protesters – is often not enough to bring about the fall of an authoritarian regime. That pressure must be supplemented by “divisions at the top,” in particular among the Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s military. “Up until now, we haven’t seen signs of splintering,” he said.
Stressing that revolutionary dynamics are hard to predict, Sadjadpour nonetheless said Iran appears to be “on the cusp of some political transformation, simply because both the population and even the regime recognize that the status quo is not sustainable.”
UN rights agency expresses concern over violence in Iran
The United Nations’ human rights agency said it is “disturbed” by reports of violence in Iran on Friday, “including reported deaths and destruction of property.”
“The right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in international law, must be protected. All deaths should be promptly, independently, and transparently investigated,” said Jeremy Laurence, the spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in Geneva.
“Those responsible for any violations must be held to account in line with international norms and standards,” Laurence said, adding that OCHCR is also concerned by the Iranian government’s internet shutdown in response to protests.
“Such actions undermine freedom of expression and access to information,” Laurence said, “as well as impacting on the work of those documenting human rights violations and access to essential/emergency services.”
If Khamenei falls, it won’t look like the revolution of 1979, says analyst
As Iranians speculate whether nationwide protests could lead to the collapse of the Islamic Republic, a leading analyst has cautioned that the potential fall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will not resemble the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979.
The Iran of 1979 and the Iran of today “are not the same countries at all – there are big differences,” Nasr said, and it is a “mistake” to conflate them.
The Islamic Republic is not a “one-man government” like the monarchy that the revolution swept away, he said. “Khamenei is the last word but you have multiple centers of power. You have political factions. He governs by consensus… All the factions go through him,” he explained.
Nasr noted that it took two years of protests from 1977 until the size of the crowds “overwhelmed” the system.
Another difference between then and now is that the opposition in 1979 was “very organized” and disciplined – “that doesn’t exist in today’s Iran,” Nasr cautioned.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warns of “retaliation,” state media reports
The intelligence service of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite wing of the Iranian military used to suppress mass protests in the past, issued a statement warning of “retaliation,” state media agency Tasnim reports.
“We warn that the continuation of this situation is unacceptable, and the blood of the victims of the recent terrorist incidents lies with their planners,” the IRGC statement said. “The people of Iran consider the right to retaliation against the spread of insecurity to be legitimate.”
The Iranian government has claimed that “mercenaries” have killed security forces in terrorist incidents as protests continue throughout the country. Meanwhile, rights monitors have said dozens of protesters have died in recent days. CNN is unable to confirm the figures these groups have provided.
The statement published by Tasnim added that the IRGC’s intelligence wing “considers safeguarding the achievements” of the regime and “preserving the security of society to be its red lines.”
“It will stand alongside the dear nation of Iran until the enemy’s plan is completely defeated and the security of citizens is established and ensured,” the statement concluded.
The protests will "further damage an already fractured legitimacy" of Iranian leadership, expert says
The latest wave of protests in Iran are an indicator of a system under transformation, experts say.
“These protests, whatever the outcome, will no doubt further damage an already fractured legitimacy for a state that I think is at the end of its life,” Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, told CNN’s Eleni Giokos.
This round of protests feels different from prior ones because of a sense of frustration and exhaustion among people in Iran, said Dina Esfandiary, Middle East lead for Bloomberg Economics.
“It’s reached a boiling point,” she explained. “I anticipate that the Islamic Republic that we’re seeing today is one unlikely to see 2027. I really think there is going to be some change.”
The outcome of the protests depends on whether the “elites inside the system” stay loyal to the supreme leader or show “fragmentation that is necessary for change to really take place,” said Vakil.
The Iranian demonstrators want “a democratic outcome, after years of dictatorship,” she added.
The return of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, is not clear given his decades-long distance from the country, Esfandiary said. “There hasn’t been much work done in terms of what his plan could potentially be… It really is a gamble to parachute him into Iran,” she added.
Tehran’s prosecutor says protesters who commit vandalism could face death penalty
Tehran’s prosecutor Ali Salehi said Friday that some protesters in Iran could face the death penalty for their actions, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.
Salehi said that acts of vandalism targeting public property carried out as part of anti-regime demonstrations will be considered “moharebeh,” translated as “waging war against God.” The punishment for moharebeh includes execution.
Iran’s execution of protesters has previously caused international outcry, with critics saying the regime had taken capital punishment to a new level.
Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi asks Trump to be “prepared to intervene” to help protesters
Exiled Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi on Friday warned that the Iranian regime plans to use the internet blackout in the country to “murder” protesters, and asked US President Donald Trump to be ready to intervene.
More about Pahlavi: The eldest son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he was 16 years old when Iran’s 1979 revolution toppled the forty-year rule of his father, the last Shah of Iran. He lives in the US.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is “fearing the end of the criminal regime,” Pahlavi added in his post addressed to Trump.
Urging Trump to take action, Pahlavi said Khamenei has “threatened the people on the streets with a brutal crack down. And he wants to use this blackout to murder these young heroes.”
Iran's communications blackout hits 24-hour mark
Iranians have now been under a near-total internet blackout for 24 hours as anti-government protests spread across the country.
The authoritarian regime imposed a country-wide communications shutdown Thursday as it struggled to keep a lid on the demonstrations and attempted to prevent information and video footage from reaching social media.
Hundreds have been injured, and 45 protesters – including eight children – have been killed since the protests began nearly two weeks ago, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO).
International observers fear the blackout could precede an even more bloody crackdown on protesters. “National blackouts tend to be the regime’s go-to strategy when deadly force is about to get used against protesters,” Alp Toker, director of cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks, told CNN, “with the goal being to prevent the spread of news of what’s happening on ground, and also to limit international scrutiny.”
Iran’s supreme leader says protesters are trying to "please" Trump
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday that some of those protesting in Tehran and other cities across the country are doing so to “please” US President Donald Trump.
“The US President has said that if the Iranian govt. does such-and-such, I’ll take the side of the rioters. The rioters have put their hopes in him,” he said.
Trump – like other “arrogant” world leaders such as deposed former Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution – will eventually fall from power, the leader added.
Khamenei warned that the Iranian people “will not tolerate the hirelings of foreign powers.”
“God willing, God will bring the feeling of victory to the hearts of all the Iranian people very soon,” he concluded.
The son of Iran’s last shah is rallying protesters. But do Iranians really want another king?
Reza Pahlavi was only 16 years old when Iran’s 1979 revolution toppled his father’s forty-year rule. The eldest son of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, he was the first in the line to inherit the oil-rich thousand-year-old empire.
Now at the age of 65, nearly half a century after the unravelling of his birthright, his wait may finally be coming to an end.
“This is the last battle. Pahlavi will return!” was one of the standout chants from nationwide protests that gripped Iran on Thursday night after the exiled former crown prince exhorted his compatriots to hit the streets.
“Javid Shah (long live the king)!” cried the protesters. “Reza Shah, God bless your soul!”
Thursday’s protests were the culmination of days of demonstrations that first began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar against economic grievances but have quickly taken on an anti-regime focus. Pahlavi, who is based in the US, has sought to position himself as a de facto leader.
Support for the deposed monarchy is taboo in Iran, a criminal offense, and a sentiment long frowned upon by a society that staged a popular uprising to overthrow the Shah’s dictatorship.
It is unclear what might be driving the renewed excitement for the royal family, and its titular head in exile, analysts say. Do Iranians genuinely support the restoration of the monarchy or are they just fed up with their repressive theocracy?
“Reza Pahlavi has indubitably increased his clout and has turned himself into a frontrunner in Iranian opposition politics,” said Arash Azizi, an academic and author of the book “What Iranians Want.”
“But he also suffers from many problems. He is a divisive figure and not a unifying one.”
Pahlavi has said he is willing to lead Iran in a transition in case protesters succeed in ousting the regime in these demonstrations, the fifth anti regime protests in nearly a decade. But he is sparse on the details of his plans and his critics say his inexperience may soon turn against him.
US senator says Trump must consult Congress before threatening strikes against Iran
US Sen. Chris Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on President Donald Trump to be transparent with Congress before threatening military action abroad.
Speaking with CNN’s Kate Bolduan on News Central, the Democrat said demonstrations in cities across Iran are encouraging and that he “hopes and prays” Iranians know the US “encourages their desires to be rid of a theocratic and oppressive regime that for decades has ruthlessly suppressed any dissent.”
The senator added that the protesters are “rising up against the brutality of the machine that has repressed their desires for free expression and for free lives for decades.”
But the lawmaker criticized Trump’s threat to Iran’s leadership, made on Air Force One on Monday, saying the president, “needs to consult with Congress before threatening that he will randomly take strikes against Iran’s leadership.” Coons added that Trump’s latest actions betray the promises he made on his campaign trail “against starting new foreign wars.”
While talking to reporters aboard his plane, Trump said of the Islamic Republic, “If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they’re going to get hit very hard by the United States.”
Coons warned that if Trump does not make his choices carefully, he risks exacerbating the situation in Iran, “In many cases, military action against a dictatorship gives them the excuse for ruthless suppression of dissent internally,” the senator said.
Making mention of the US seizure of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro at the weekend, Coons repeated his point that Trump must be clear about why he takes military action when he does. “Around the world we are respected not because of our military might but because of our values, and President Trump has taken us in a starkly different direction,” he said.
Iranian foreign minister says Omani counterpart to visit Tehran tomorrow
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that his Omani counterpart is expected to visit Iran’s capital Tehran on Saturday.
Saturday’s meeting is “something to do with Oman and Iran,” Araghchi said.
Oman was a key mediator between Iran and the United States during talks last year over Tehran’s nuclear program, before Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites, triggering a 12-day war that eventually drew in the US.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his threat to attack Iran if security forces kill protesters as demonstrations spread across the country. Araghchi seemed to dismiss this threat on Friday, saying “we can rule out” the possibility of a US or Israeli attack.
The foreign minister added that the US and Israel have indicated that they “have plans and want to interfere. And they are trying to take these protests and uprisings to the moment of violence.”
