Iran’s Mobile SMS Service Back as Unrest Continues

SMS sending and receiving services have been restored across mobile phone operators in Iran, while internet access remains down amid the ongoing nationwide protests, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iran International.

According to the US-based human rights group, the death toll in Iran’s protests has reached 2,677.

The protests, driven by dissatisfaction over economic conditions, have also led to the detention of 19,097 people, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.

In clashes that erupted during the protests, 2,677 people lost their lives, the agency reported.

Iranian authorities have not yet released any official figures regarding the total number of people killed or injured during the protests.

The demonstrations began on Dec. 28 in the capital Tehran, when shopkeepers, merchants, and small business owners staged strikes and protests against soaring inflation, the collapsing rial, and worsening economic conditions.

The protests have since spread to multiple cities and escalated into broader anti-government expressions of discontent involving workers, students, and other groups.