Khamenei 'shuts down' internet, arrests 2,000. Shah calls on Trump

Trump, speaking to reporters during a meeting with oil company executives, made it clear that any American action would not involve sending troops on the ground. "This does not mean 'boots on the ground'," he said, explaining that the intervention would consist of "hitting them very, very hard, where it hurts".

Khamenei responded to Trump: ''US President Donald Trump should take care of his country's problems,'' the Ayatollah said in an address to the nation in which he appealed for unity as street demonstrations erupted against the caravan continue. ''Some protesters are trying to please Trump by destroying public property,'' Khamenei added.

The Islamic Republic "will not yield in the face of saboteurs," Iran's Supreme Leader said. "Everyone should know that the Islamic Republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honourable people and will not give in the face of saboteurs," Khamenei said, reports the London-based portal 'Iran International', also speaking of foreign-backed elements seeking to destabilise the country.

Trump is ''an arrogant'' and will be ''overthrown'', Khamenei added. ''US President Donald Trump should know that all tyrants fell when they were at the height of their power,'' Khamenei added. Trump, Khamenei continued, ''claims he can act as the father of the Iranian nation,'' but ''he should know that the arrogant men of the world, such as the Pharaoh, Nimrod, Reza Khan and Mohammad Reza, were overthrown at the height of their arrogance; he too will be overthrown. "Trump's hands are stained with the blood of Iranians,'' Khamenei said, accusing Trump of ordering the attacks during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June.

During the night, however, the protests continued with mass demonstrations in the country's main cities, starting with the capital Tehran. What triggered the demonstrations was the rise in inflation resulting from the devaluation of the riyal, Iran's national currency. Because of the demonstrations, the Iranian authorities have ordered a total blackout of communications via social media, which are inaccessible throughout the country. This morning, the official Iranian media broke their silence on the demonstrations, blaming the protests on 'terrorist agents' from the United States and Israel who allegedly set fires and triggered violence.

In the country meanwhile, the Internet blockade seems to have also taken Iran's state and semi-official news agencies offline. State TV's acknowledgement at 8am this morning was the first official statement on the demonstrations. State TV said that the protests had seen incidents of violence resulting in casualties. It also said that during the protests 'private cars, motorbikes, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses were set on fire'.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called for a "swift" and "independent" investigation into the deaths that occurred during the demonstrations that have been shaking Iran for weeks. He said this in a statement, expressing strong concern about the situation in the country. "A swift, independent and transparent investigation must be conducted. Those responsible for the violations must be held accountable for their actions in accordance with international rules and standards," Turk said, urging full accountability for the abuses committed. The High Commissioner also expressed concern about the repeated interruption of internet access, stressing that communication blackouts restrict the right to information and hamper the monitoring of the human rights situation.