Iranian authorities cut off the internet and international calls, as protests gathered pace across the country.
A collapsing rial and high inflation have led to crippling cost-of-living increases, and the resulting protests, which started on Dec. 28, have taken on a political slant, with demonstrators chanting against the theocratic government and in favor of the exiled crown prince, who called for resistance against the leadership.
The demonstrations have seen at least 42 killed, although officials appear not to have cracked down severely yet. The country’s long-term challenges are also severe: Iran has suffered brutal droughts, with reservoirs depleted to the extent that the president has said Tehran may have to be evacuated. The country’s longest river is largely dried up, and wildfires are consuming its ancient forests.
