Iranian activist Masih Alinejad has urged global support for protests spreading across Iran, as demonstrations enter their second week amid an economic crisis and an internet shutdown.
Protesters gather near burning debris during demonstrations in Iran, as unrest linked to the economic crisis enters its second week. | X/@DrEliDavid
Iranian activist and journalist Masih Alinejad has called on world leaders and the international community to openly back the ongoing protests in Iran, now in their twelfth day.
She said the demands coming from the streets are unequivocal.
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In a post on X, Alinejad referred to her appearance on Fox News and the continued demonstrations inside Iran.
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“The message of the Iranian people is clear. The people do not want this regime and will never allow the reformists to take power,” she wrote.
Also Read: Iran protests death toll rises to 35: What we know so far about arrests, injuries and global fallout
Alinejad also drew attention to the Iranian government’s response to the unrest, including restrictions on communication.
“The regime cuts off the internet as usual; Elon Musk, help in this sensitive situation for the Iranian people to gain access to the internet,” she said.
Her appeal went beyond internet access. Calling for international backing, she added: “Trump and the international community, help the Iranian people reach a secular democracy, something they deserve, from dictatorship.”
Her remarks come amid widening protests across Iran, triggered by a deepening economic crisis. Demonstrations have continued despite repeated warnings from the authorities, according to Al Jazeera.
In Tehran, protesters set fires on the streets. Large crowds were also reported in Borujerd, Arsanjan and Gilan-e Gharb. Footage from Shiraz showed security forces driving over a barricade bearing the message: “We revolt due to hunger.”
Massive protests in and around Isfahan (3rd largest city in Iran)
Regime forces are fleeing.
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) January 8, 2026
The protests began late last month after shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the collapse of Iran’s rial. The currency crisis has been linked to economic mismanagement and Western sanctions, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei issued a stern warning as demonstrations entered their second week.
“If anyone comes into the streets for riots or to create insecurity, or supports them, then no excuse remains for them. The matter has become very clear and transparent. They are now operating in line with the enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
His comments followed remarks by US President Donald Trump, who last week warned Tehran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” adding that the US was “locked and loaded and ready to go,” according to Al Jazeera.
That statement came months after a 12-day conflict in which Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced support for the protesters, telling ministers, “It is quite possible that we are at a moment when the Iranian people are taking their fate into their own hands.”
Iran’s military leadership later echoed the warning. Speaking at a military academy, Major-General Amir Hatami said Iran would respond preemptively to hostile rhetoric.
“We will cut off the hand of any aggressor,” he said.
“If the enemy commits an error, it will face a more decisive response.”
As protests continued, Iran experienced a nationwide internet blackout. Monitoring group NetBlocks said the disruption was detected across the country.
The shutdown followed “a series of escalating digital censorship measures targeting protests across the country and hinders the public’s right to communicate at a critical moment,” NetBlocks said in a post.
Iranian authorities have not released official casualty figures. Rights activists say at least 36 people have been killed and more than 2,000 arrested, though Al Jazeera said it could not independently verify the numbers.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later said he would not “yield to the enemy,” comments that gained added weight following a recent US military operation involving Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, a close ally of Tehran, according to Al Jazeera.
In a move aimed at easing public anger, the Iranian government announced monthly assistance of about USD 7 to help offset rising food prices. The decision has been widely criticised as insufficient.
“More than a week of protests in Iran reflects not only worsening economic conditions, but longstanding anger at government repression and regime policies that have led to Iran’s global isolation,” said the New York-based Soufan Center think tank.
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