"Protesters took to the streets of Tehran on Friday evening amid a nationwide internet blackout following days of unrest over Iran's economic crisis. Footage shows demonstrators rallying at Kaj Square, where cars can be heard honking and a fire can be seen engulfing part of a building. The country has been facing a widespread internet blackout and disruptions to telecommunication services since Thursday, according to independent monitoring organisations. The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said on Friday that the shutdown was ordered due to the 'prevailing circumstances of the country.' Several Iranian cities have seen riots and vandalism targeting public property over recent days. The protests, which began in Tehran in late December and have since spread to other cities, are driven by a deteriorating economic situation and a steep decline in the national currency's value. The unrest has intensified amid US threats to punish Tehran over any potential crackdown. Earlier, President Donald Trump told a US radio show that if 'they start killing people' then "we are going to hit them very hard." On Thursday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of having 'direct involvement' in the ongoing unrest inside Iran, warning of attempts to 'turn peaceful protests violent'. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday asserted that the Islamic Republic would not tolerate what he termed 'saboteurs,' emphasising that Iran's political system was built on immense sacrifice."