Protests were reported on Thursday from at least 111 Iranian cities and the death toll continues to rise.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said on Thursday that at least 45 protesters had been killed in the protests. Eight of the victims were minors. More than 2,000 protesters are believed to have been arrested.
Media in Iran have so far confirmed 21 deaths, which include fatalities among security forces.
At the same time, IHR said Wednesday was the most violent day so far in the recent protests.
"Evidence shows that the scale of the crackdowns is becoming more violent and extensive every day," wrote the organization's founder, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, in a comment.
On Thursday afternoon, reports also came from the international organization Netblocks that internet access had been shut down across Iran.
Calls for dialogue
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on security forces to exercise “utmost restraint” in a statement on Thursday. He also called for “dialogue, active participation and listening to the demands of the people.”
Pezeshkian has previously called on security forces to distinguish between “legitimate” protesters who are concerned about the economic situation and “rioters” who act against national security.
The protests began on December 28 and are rooted in economic dissatisfaction, but criticism has broadened to target the entire regime in Tehran.
Iran accuses the US
On Thursday, Iran accused the United States of inciting violence and terror with its "deceptive" statements about support for the protests in the country.
"The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemns the interference and misleading statements by US officials regarding Iran's internal affairs and described them as a clear indication of Washington's continued hostility towards the great nation of Iran," the ministry said in a statement.
US President Trump, in turn, threatened on Thursday evening to strike Iran:
"I've let them know that if they start killing people, which they often seem to do during uprisings - and they have a lot of uprisings - if they do, then we're going to hit them very hard," Trump said in an interview with conservative radio journalist Hugh Hewitt.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote in a post on X that "Sweden condemns all attempts to suppress the peaceful protests" and continued:
"The Iranian people are rising up once again against oppression. We hear their voices and we support their courageous struggle for freedom."
