In a message addressed to Donald Trump, the President of the United States, Prince Reza Pahlavi called on him to be ready for "intervention to help the people of Iran." This message was published on the X platform on Friday evening, January 19. He wrote in this message: "This is an urgent call for your attention, support, and action."
Mr. Pahlavi, referring to the widespread presence of Iranian citizens in the streets on Thursday, January 18, stated: "Today, they are facing not only bullets but also a complete blackout of communications. There is no internet, and no landline phones are working."
He also told Trump that Ali Khamenei "wants to use this blackout to kill these young heroes." Prince Reza Pahlavi noted that the threat from Trump to the Iranian regime has "caused the regime's thugs to retreat. But the time is very critical. The people will come back to the streets in an hour. I ask you to help."
He described the U.S. President as "a man of peace and a man of his word" and requested: "Please be ready to intervene to help the people of Iran."
As internet access was cut off and information about the situation inside Iran remained unclear, a large number of Iranian users abroad began calling on world leaders for help in various languages. Many of these users, who had previously only been active in Persian, started tagging human rights organizations and world leaders from noon on Friday, January 19, demanding internet access for the people inside Iran.
State-run news agencies reported the deaths of six people during the protests on Thursday, January 18, in Hamadan. Iranian television referred to the protesters as "anti-revolutionary elements and thugs" and reported the death of "Mohammad Javad Bakhshian, a military captain." The fact-checking group Factnameh and BBC Persian confirmed that the video related to the casualties in Fardis, Karaj, on January 18 is authentic.
Thirteen days after the onset of widespread protests in Iran, there is no precise data on the number of detainees in various cities. The news agency HRANA reported that the number of detainees over 12 days has exceeded 2,277.
The Secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council issued a statement following widespread anti-government protests last night in many cities, stating that while the recent events initially began with economic demands, according to this body, they have been "directed and planned by Israel to create insecurity" in the country.
Axios reported in a piece published on Friday, January 19, that U.S. intelligence assessments regarding the impact of the protests in Iran are changing. The report noted that intelligence assessments in the United States until early this week indicated that the protests "lack the energy and capacity to challenge the stability" of the Iranian government, but following recent developments, this assessment is being "revised." A senior U.S. official told Axios: "These protests are serious, and we will continue to monitor them."
Reports indicate that yesterday, more than 50 small and large cities in the Kurdish regions of Iran across four provinces—Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, and Ilam—expressed solidarity with the nationwide protests in Iran by closing their markets and shops.
Nikita Bir, head of products at X, announced that the social media platform is making changes to the emoji of the Iranian flag, which will soon be implemented in the web version. According to this change, the flag of the Islamic Republic will be replaced with the historical symbol of the lion and sun.