In a New Year email from Teheran, Hamid Reza Talebi, one of the eTN Ambassadors from Iran wrote: “We don’t know what’s happening in Iran. Some people without any aims came to the streets and talk very differently with each other.”

Anti-government protests continued across multiple cities in Iran for a fourth day on Sunday, the most widespread unrest in the country since the pro-democracy Green Movement in 2009 — though nowhere near the same scale thus far. Two protesters were killed overnight Saturday, the first deaths attributed to the unrest. On Sunday, authorities reportedly blocked Instagram and the popular messaging app Telegram, which Iranians had been using to spread the news about the protests, and the country’s powerful Revolutionary Guard has threatened a violent crackdown if the demonstrations continue.

President Hassan Rouhani, in remarks which were aired on state television on Sunday night, supported Iranians’ right to protest and criticize the government and indicated that some of the protesters had legitimate demands, but that the protests should not include violence or anti-regime slogans.

The United States has condemned the arrest of protesters, with President Donald Trump cheering on the protesters via Twitter. Trump tweeted on December 31 that it looks like the Iranians “will not take it any longer,” adding, “The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations!”

The response from an ordinary citizen in Iran: “Not a single Iranian in Iran wants the US to “support” them by getting involved, which ultimately means: bombing Iran. If you want to support them, keep up the coverage & help them access social media. But there’s only ONE way to change Iran: from inside, by the Iranian people.

Another post to social media from Iran said: Islamic dictator regime of Iran disconnected internet in whole the country and started brutal crackdown of peaceful protesters. We need your ARMY satellite internet to deliver our VOICE. it’s good for whole the region and whole the world, plz HELP