Iranians able to make some calls abroad as internet remains blocked amid protests

Iranians were able to make some international phone calls on Tuesday for the first time since a sweeping shutdown of communications at a time when authorities cracked down on anti-government protests.

Calls to numbers outside the country were briefly connected, but text messaging remained disabled and internet access was still limited to government-approved local websites, leaving Iran largely cut off from the outside world, Tehran residents said.

According to residents, the partial restoration took place as security forces maintained a heavy presence in central Tehran, with riot police, Revolutionary Guard units and plainclothes police officers deployed at key locations as authorities tried to contain the unrest.

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Protests have broken out in recent weeks over Iran’s deepening economic crisis, with demonstrators increasingly calling for regime change. Activist groups say hundreds of people have died, but the actual figure remains difficult to confirm due to internet outages and tight government controls on information.

Residents said some government offices and financial institutions were damaged during the unrest, while merchants reported being ordered to reopen their businesses despite ongoing security operations. Pedestrian traffic remained sparse in many parts of the capital.

The unrest has sparked increased international attention as tensions between Tehran and Washington have increased. US President Donald Trump said he wanted to negotiate with his administration after Iran threatened to bomb the country over its response to the protests.

On January 8, 2026, fires were lit as protesters gathered in Tehran, Iran. (Getty Images)

Trump said Friday that Iran “better not start shooting because we’re going to start shooting, too.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera in an interview broadcast Monday night that he continues to communicate with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Araghchi stated that the communication “continued before and after the protests, and still continues,” adding that “the ideas and threats proposed by Washington against our country are incompatible.”

Araghchi also said Tehran was “fully prepared for war” if the United States attacked.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that diplomacy remains Trump’s first option, but that the President “has shown that he is not afraid to use military options if he deems it necessary, and no one knows that better than Iran.”

“He definitely doesn’t want to see people being killed on the streets of Tehran. And unfortunately, that’s something we’re seeing right now,” he added.

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A masked protester holds a photo of Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators also took to the streets on Monday, following days of protests against the rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television, “Death to America!” Slogans were shouted from the crowd. and “Death to Israel!” and “Death to the enemies of God!”

Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone who participates in the protests will be considered an “enemy of God” and that this crime will be punishable by death penalty.

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Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs “effective immediately” in response to Tehran’s crackdown on protests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.