Iran allows limited overseas calls as protest death toll nears 2,000

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the death toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 2,000 people, according to activists.

Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press.

The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites.

 

It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday.

Here is the latest:  Iranian official calls Trump and Netanyahu 'real killers of people of Iran'  A senior Iranian official responded Tuesday to Trump's latest threat to intervene in deadly protests, saying that the US and Israel will be the ones responsible for the death of Iranian civilians.

Shortly after Trump's social media post urging Iranians to take over government institutions, Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, posted on X: We declare the names of the real killers of the people of Iran: 1- Trump 2- Netanyahu.

Russia strongly criticises US threats to strike Iran  Russia's Foreign Ministry called on Tuesday the threats categorically unacceptable.

The ministry warned in a statement that any such strikes would have disastrous consequences for the situation in the Middle East and global security. It also criticised what it called brazen attempts to blackmail Iran's foreign partners by raising trade tariffs.

The statement noted that the protests in Iran had been triggered by social and economic problems resulting from Western sanctions. It also denounced hostile external forces for trying to exploit the resulting growing social tension to destabilise and destroy the Iranian state and charged that specially trained and armed provocateurs acting on instructions from abroad sought to provoke violence.

The ministry voiced hope that the situation in Iran will gradually stabilise and advised Russian citizens in the Islamic Republic not to visit crowded places.

Iranian state television acknowledges high death toll  The TV report said the country had a lot of martyrs' in the nationwide protests and quoted Ahmad Mousavi, the head of the Martyrs Foundation.

The anchor read a statement that laid blame on armed and terrorist groups, which led the country to present a lot of martyrs to God.

The acknowledgment came after activists put the death toll at at least 2,003 people killed.

Germany summons Iranian ambassador  Germany's Foreign Ministry says it summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin on Tuesday to protest the crackdown against demonstrators.

The ministry wrote in a social media post that the Iranian regime's brutal action against its own population is shocking. It called on Iran to end the use of violence against its own people and respect their rights.

Iranian ambassador to France summoned  French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot summoned the Iranian ambassador Tuesday to denounce Iran's repression of protesters, which Barrot called intolerable, unbearable, and inhumane."  Addressing lawmakers at France's National Assembly, Barrot said that France condemned the repression in the strongest possible terms, denouncing this state violence that was unleashed blindly upon peaceful protesters.

I have conveyed this condemnation to the Iranian foreign minister and it will be reiterated to the Iranian ambassador to France, whom I summoned today to the Foreign Ministry, he added.

UK announces plans for sanctions on Iran  UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced plans for full and further sanctions against Iran that target finance, energy, transport and other significant industries after the Foreign Office summoned the Islamic Republic's ambassador to explain the nation's response to recent protests.

Cooper told the House of Commons on Tuesday that a desperate regime,' must not be allowed to undermine a genuine grassroots movement' which has spread through many regions and all parts of society.

And that is why we and other governments across the world are determined not to play into the hands of the regime or to allow our words or actions to be twisted to support their lies and propaganda,' she said.

The world is watching Iran, and the UK will continue to confront the regime's lies, to call out its repression and to take the steps necessary to protect the UK's interests.

EU draws up new sanctions against Iranian officials  European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the new sanctions will be imposed on Iranian officials over the crackdown on protestors.

The rising number of casualties in Iran is horrifying. I unequivocally condemn the excessive use of force and continued restriction of freedom, von der Leyen said in a post on social media.

She said that in cooperation with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas further sanctions on those responsible for the repression will be swiftly proposed. We stand with the people of Iran who are bravely marching for their liberty.

The EU has already imposed sanctions on members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and others over past concerns about human rights abuses in Iran.

EU foreign policy chief says it's not clear whether the Iranian government will fall  Kaja Kallas said in Berlin Tuesday that the Iranian government might go the way of former President Bashar Assad's government in Syria, which fell swiftly in late 2024 in a surprise for everybody. But she added that very often these regimes are very, very resilient.

Kallas said that right now it is not clear whether the regime is going to fall or not. She said it would ultimately have to be up to the Iranian people to make decisions.

Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands summoned  Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said he summoned Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands to formally protest the excessive violence against peaceful protesters, large-scale arbitrary arrests, and internet shutdowns, calling for immediate restoration of internet access inside the Islamic Republic.

In a post on X, Weel also said the Dutch government supports EU sanctions against human rights violators in Iran.

Finland summons Iranian ambassador  Finland's foreign minister says she is summoning the Iranian ambassador after authorities in Tehran restricted internet access.

Iran's regime has shut down the internet to be able to kill and oppress in silence," Elina Valtonen wrote in a social media post Tuesday, adding, this will not be tolerated. We stand with the people of Iran women and men alike.

Finland is exploring measures to help restore freedom to the Iranian people together with the European Union, Valtonen said.

Separately, Finnish police said they believe at least two people entered the courtyard of the Iranian embassy in Helsinki without permission Monday afternoon and tore down the Iranian flag. The embassy's outer wall was also daubed with paint.