Iran finds itself in the grips of widespread unrest as anti-government protests enter their thirteenth day, marked by a significant government-imposed internet blackout that has largely isolated the nation from the global community. According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), the escalating conflict has resulted in at least 51 fatalities, including nine children, with many more injured.

In a press briefing held in Washington, D.C., on Friday, former President Donald Trump addressed the situation, noting the intensifying pressure on Iran as demonstrations expand. “Iran is facing serious challenges,” Trump remarked. “It seems that citizens are gaining control over certain cities, a scenario that seemed unlikely just weeks ago. We are closely monitoring these developments.”

Trump also issued a stern warning that the United States is prepared to take decisive action if the Iranian regime resorts to widespread violence. “We will strike them hard where it hurts,” he stated. “This doesn’t imply deploying troops on the ground, but rather delivering impactful measures.”

Meanwhile, Iranian citizens demonstrated support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in Tehran, opposing Israeli actions against Iran, as captured in a recent photograph by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

Despite the firm stance, Trump expressed a preference for avoiding further conflict. “We hope such measures won’t be necessary,” he commented. “There have been similar situations in the past where President Obama chose not to act, but what’s happening in Iran now is quite remarkable. It’s truly something to witness.”

Trump blamed Iran’s leadership for the unrest, saying the regime had mistreated its people.

“They’ve done a bad job. They’ve treated the people very badly, and now they’re being paid back,” he said. “So let’s see what happens. We’ll watch it. We’re watching it very closely.”

A protester faces Iranian security forces during clashes amid nationwide unrest, according to images released by the Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). (NCRI )

Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American journalist and editor of the Iran So Far Away Substack, said demonstrations were expected to intensify later Friday despite the communications blackout.

“People are going to be pouring out into the streets,” Zand told Fox News Digital. She described the unrest as unprecedented in the Islamic Republic’s history.

“Absolutely, this is the first time in 47 years. February 12 will mark 47 years that we have this opportunity,” she said. A senior U.S. official told Fox News there had been no change to the U.S. military posture in the Middle East in response to the unrest, adding that U.S. Central Command was closely monitoring developments, particularly around Friday prayers and the regime’s response.

Thirteen days into the protests, the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Germany issued their first joint declaration on the situation in Iran.

“We are deeply concerned about reports of violence by Iranian security forces and strongly condemn the killing of protesters,” the statement said. “The Iranian authorities have the responsibility to protect their own population and must allow for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal. We urge the Iranian authorities to exercise restraint, refrain from violence, and uphold the fundamental rights of Iran’s citizens.”

Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on Jan. 9, 2026.  (Social Media/via Reuters)

The opposition-linked National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said Friday that security forces killed a significant number of protesters overnight in several cities, particularly Tehran and Karaj. The group said repression forces opened fire on civilians in the Fardis area of Karaj, leaving at least 10 young people killed or wounded in one incident—claims that could not be independently verified.

The leader of the NCRI, Maryam Rajavi, told Fox News Digital, “The developments of recent months have proven a fundamental truth: although the regime ruling Iran has been severely weakened and has suffered heavy blows, it will not collapse under the weight of its own failures. Its overthrow will not come from outside Iran, nor will it be delivered by the will of foreign capitals. As I have repeatedly emphasized, change can only be achieved by the Iranian people themselves, through an organized and nationwide resistance that is present on the ground — one capable of confronting a ruthless dictatorship.”

According to Reuters, Iran was effectively isolated after authorities shut down internet access in an effort to curb the demonstrations, sharply limiting the flow of information out of the country. Phone calls into Iran were failing, and at least 17 flights between Dubai and Iran were canceled, according to Dubai Airport’s website. Videos verified by Reuters showed buildings and vehicles ablaze in several cities as unrest intensified.

Footage verified by Reuters from Tehran showed hundreds of demonstrators marching, with at least one woman heard shouting, “Death to Khamenei!” Other chants included slogans supporting the monarchy.

In Zahedan, where Iran’s Baluch minority predominates, rights group Hengaw reported that a protest march following Friday prayers had been met with gunfire, wounding several people, according to Reuters.

Iranian state television aired images of clashes and fires, while the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several police officers were killed overnight, underscoring the increasingly violent nature of the confrontations.

In a televised address Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed not to back down. Reuters reported that while the unrest has not yet drawn as broad a cross-section of society as some previous protest waves, Iranian authorities appear more vulnerable due to a dire economic situation and the aftermath of last year’s war with Israel and the United States.

Iranian demonstrations intensify for 13th day. (The National Council of Resistance of Iran)

The protests began late last month with shopkeepers and bazaar merchants demonstrating against accelerating inflation and the collapse of the rial, which lost about half its value against the dollar last year. Inflation topped 40% in December. The unrest soon spread to universities and provincial cities, with young men clashing with security forces.

State television broadcast overnight images of burning buses, cars and motorbikes as well as fires at underground railway stations and banks. In the Caspian Sea port city of Rasht, a state TV journalist standing amid the flames said, “This looks like a war zone – all the shops have been destroyed.”

Reuters noted that Iran’s opposition abroad remains fragmented, with disputed levels of support inside the country for figures such as Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah of Iran. Pahlavi urged Iranians to take to the streets in a social media post, while President Donald Trump said Thursday he would not meet Pahlavi and was “not sure that it would be appropriate” to support him,” he stated in an interview with Hugh Hewitt.

Burning debris lies next to an overturned dumpster in the middle of a street during unrest amid demonstrations in Hamedan, Iran, on Jan. 1, 2026. The demonstrations erupted after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shut their businesses to protest the sharp fall of Iran’s currency and worsening economic conditions, with clashes reported in several provinces and Iranian media and rights groups saying multiple people had been killed in the violence, marking the largest protests to hit the Islamic Republic in three years. (Mobina / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the unrest, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the likelihood of foreign military intervention was “very low,” adding that Oman’s foreign minister would visit Tehran on Saturday, according to Reuters.

The Islamic Republic has weathered repeated waves of nationwide unrest over the decades, including major protests in 1999, 2009, 2019 and 2022. Analysts say the coming days will test whether the current uprising can sustain momentum under intensified repression — or meet a similar fate.

Reuters contributed to this article.