A screenshot from a video shows a large crowd participating in anti-government protests on a street in Abadan, Ilam Province, western Iran, on January 6, 2026.

In Iran's capital, Tehran, citizens took to the streets in protests spurred by calls from the exiled crown prince, marking a new phase as demonstrations spread across the country, according to an AP report on the 8th (local time).

Iran Insight reported that internet and phone lines were cut off across Iran as soon as the protests began.

AP analyzed that this protest was the first test of how persuasive Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's influence could be on the Iranian people. Chants supporting the crown prince's father, the Shah, were also heard during the protests. While such acts could have led to the death penalty in the past, they have now become a central issue for protests expressing anger over Iran's crippled economy.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, at least 41 people have died and over 2,270 have been detained in protest-related violence so far.

As the protests spread, pressure is mounting on Iran's civilian government and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Internet companies Cloudflare and the civic group NetBlocks reported internet disruptions due to Iranian government intervention. Attempts to make landline and mobile calls from Dubai to Iran were unsuccessful. In the past, such disruptions have been followed by strong government crackdowns.

Meanwhile, the protests themselves still lack leadership. It is unclear what impact Pahlavi's appeal will have on future demonstrations.

Nate Swanson, an Iran expert at the Atlantic Council in Washington, analyzed, "The lack of a viable alternative has weakened past Iranian protests."

"There may be thousands of Iranian dissidents who, given the opportunity, could emerge as respected political figures, much like Lech Wałęsa, the leader of the Polish labor movement, did at the end of the Cold War. However, to date, Iran's security forces have arrested, persecuted, and exiled all potential transformative leaders of the nation."

Pahlavi urged people to protest on Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. GMT). According to witnesses, as the clock struck that hour, cheers erupted from neighborhoods across Tehran. The cheers included "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to the Islamic Republic!" Others chanted in praise of the Shah:

"This is the final battle! Pahlavi will return!" they shouted. Thousands of protesters poured into the streets.

Pahlavi said in a statement, "Great people of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you. Take to the streets and let your voices be heard in unity." He added, "We warn the Islamic Republic of Iran, its leaders, and the Revolutionary Guard. The world and President Donald Trump are watching you. The repression of the people will never be overlooked."

Pahlavi is known to be pro-Israel. He has stated that he will present further plans based on the response to his appeal.

Iranian officials appeared to be taking the planned protests seriously. The hardline Kayhan newspaper posted a video online claiming that security forces would identify protesters using drones.

There have been reports of security personnel being injured or killed. Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, reported that a police colonel was stabbed to death in a town outside Tehran, while the semi-official Fars News Agency reported that two security forces were killed and 30 injured in a shooting incident in Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

The deputy governor of Iran's Khorasan Razavi province stated on Iranian state television that five people died in an attack on a police station in Chenaran, about 700 km northeast of Tehran, on Wednesday night. Late Thursday, the Revolutionary Guard announced that two of its personnel had died in Kermanشاه.

Iran has faced nationwide protests in recent years. With sanctions tightening and Iran facing difficulties after 12 days of war, the Iranian currency, the rial, plummeted to 1.4 million to the dollar in December. Protests immediately followed, with demonstrators chanting slogans against Iran's theocratic regime.

President Trump warned last week that if Tehran "violently kills peaceful protesters," the United States "will come to their rescue."

The U.S. State Department continues to post online videos on X that appear to show Iranian protesters sticking stickers bearing Trump's name on roads or discarding government-subsidized rice.

Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi remains imprisoned by authorities since her arrest in December, AP reported.

Her son, Ali Rahmani, said, "Since December 28, 2025, the people of Iran have taken to the streets, just as they did in 2009 and 2019. Every time, the demands have been the same: the end of the Islamic Republic, the end of the patriarchal and dictatorial religious regime, the fall of the clergy, and the end of the mullah regime."

By Hong Seong-gu, Editor-in-Chief of U.S. NNP / Special Correspondent for this paper NNP info@newsandpost.com