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Cloudflare’s threat-intelligence unit Cloudforce One says Tehran is targeting Instagram accounts using tools that allow the bulk extraction of follower lists and account activity.
The activity was observed amid a near-total internet blackout imposed for about a week following the outbreak of nationwide protests.
Germany has issued a new directive cautioning the country’s airlines against entering Iranian airspace, Flightradar24 said on Wednesday, as European carriers adjust operations amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The move came shortly after Lufthansa said it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice.
The airline added that it would operate only daytime flights to Tel Aviv and Amman from Wednesday through Monday next week, warning that some services could be canceled as a result.
Iranian authorities have significantly expanded the presence of security forces across multiple cities, tightening control to prevent further protests in what some residents inside Iran described as a 'de facto curfew.'
Multiple sources told Iran International that patrols and checkpoints were ubiquitous, with increased police and military deployments across urban centers, particularly in major cities.
In Tehran, daily life has slowed markedly, with many shops closed and streets quieter than usual.
Residents said movement, communications, healthcare activity, and access to educational institutions are under tight government control, describing the capital as subdued and tense, with people avoiding unnecessary travel or gatherings.
"It's like a de facto curfew," one Tehran resident said.
In Karaj, residents said that because of the dense presence of security forces, people cannot even speak comfortably with one another. Similar conditions have been reported in multiple parts of the country.
The expanded security footprint follows what rights groups and media outlets describe as a bloody crackdown on the protests.
Iran International reported on Tuesday that at least 12,000 people have been killed nationwide since the unrest began, while CBS News, citing an Iranian official, said the death toll could be as high as 20,000.
Tehran rejected those figures on Wednesday, dismissing them as claims spread by what it called “Mossad-backed” media.
‘Help on the way’
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump urged Iranians to remain in the streets and take over state institutions, telling protesters that “help is on the way,” while exiled prince Reza Pahlavi has also called on Iranians to continue demonstrations.
The calls from abroad for sustained protest appear to be colliding with a harsher reality on the ground—at least for now.
In Shiraz, sources said security conditions intensified earlier this week, with additional military units deployed and new restrictions imposed on movement. Local notices outlining the presence of armed forces and limits on traffic circulated in the city, though no nationwide emergency measures have been formally announced.
In Sanandaj, residents reported an expanded security presence beginning earlier this week, including personnel they described as speaking Arabic rather than Persian.
Similar observations have been reported by sources in other western regions, though the identities and affiliations of the forces could not be independently verified.
Some protesters and observers alleged that forces affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Afghan and Iraqi recruits, have been mobilized and organized at specific locations, including a mosque in Tehran’s Gholhak district.
Iranian authorities have not commented on these claims.
US President Donald Trump said he's been informed that the killing has stopped in Iran.
"They're not going to have an execution, which a lot of people were talking about for the last couple of days, today was going to be the day of execution," he told reporters.
“We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping, stopped, and stopping. And there's no plan for executions or an execution or execution. So I've been told that in good authority,” Trump said.
“But that's just gotten to me from information that the killing has stopped, that the executions have stopped,” he added.
Asked whether military action against Iran was now off the table, Trump said: “We’ll watch and see what the process is, but we’ve been given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”
G7 nations on Wednesday said they were “gravely concerned” by developments surrounding the ongoing protests in Iran, warning that further sanctions could follow if the authorities continue their violent crackdown.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union’s high representative, said they were “deeply alarmed at the high level of reported deaths and injuries” linked to the unrest.
The G7 urged Iranian authorities to “exercise full restraint, refrain from violence, and uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Iran’s citizens.”
“The members of the G7 remain prepared to impose additional restrictive measures if Iran continues to crack down on protests and dissent in violation of international human rights obligations,” the statement said.
