US warns Iran against using foreign fighters to crush protests

Two internationally recognized Iranian filmmakers warned about the consequences of cutting Iranians’ communication with the outside world in a joint statement.

"In recent days, after millions of Iranians took to the streets against the Islamic Republic, authorities turned again to their most stark tool of repression by shutting down internet access as well as mobile and landline phone services inside the country, while also blocking contact with the outside world," Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof wrote.

Experience, they said, shows such shutdowns are used to conceal violence during the suppression of protests.

The filmmakers said they are deeply concerned for the lives of fellow citizens, families, colleagues and friends left defenseless, and urged the international community, human rights organizations and media to urgently find ways to ensure access to independent information and oversight, warning that silence today would carry lasting consequences.

Protesters in Mahdasht, Alborz province, set fires in the streets on Friday night.

A video shows demonstrators chanting, “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return.”

Marco Rubio wrote on X that the United States supports the brave people of Iran.

“The United States supports the brave people of Iran,” the said in the post.

Hundreds of Iranian residents in Toronto gathered in support of Iran’s national uprising, holding a protest outside the offices of the Canadian national broadcaster CBC.

Demonstrators called on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to provide broader coverage of protests inside Iran, according to reports received by Iran International. Participants pointed to widespread internet shutdowns imposed by the Islamic Republic, urging the network to amplify the voices of Iranian protesters and reflect developments on the ground.

The Persian-language account of the United States Department of State wrote on X that on the 13th day of protests, the biggest fear of the Islamic Republic has become fully clear: Iranians are united and demanding change.

In a separate post, the account said the authorities’ response has been to cut internet access, use violence against the public and blame “foreign agitators” for the unrest. The reality is now evident, it added, saying the Islamic Republic has fallen into serious trouble.