Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted that the government would “not back down” in the face of protests after the biggest rallies yet in an almost two-week movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living. Chanting slogans including “death to the dictator” and setting fire to official buildings, crowds of people opposed to the establishment marched through major cities late on Thursday. Internet monitor Netblocks said authorities had imposed a total connectivity blackout late on Thursday and added early on Friday that the country has “now been offline for 12 hours […] in an attempt to suppress sweeping protests”.
