UK Sunday papers cover Iran crackdown, blackout

Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament’s national security committee, said the Islamic Republic would consider any future action against the United States and Israel “legitimate” in response to recent events linked to the protests.

Azizi said the government would stand by its principles and warned that its enemies should expect what he called a severe retaliation.

Video shows protesters in Arak on Saturday night.

Iranians rallied in Frankfurt, Germany, in support of the nationwide protests in Iran, footage received by Iran International showed on Sunday.

The crowd chanted “Javid Shah” (“Long live the king”), a slogan associated with Iran’s former Pahlavi monarchy.

Overseas rallies have accompanied the latest wave of unrest inside Iran, where authorities have restricted communications and protesters have faced intensified security pressure.

Iran’s police chief Ahmadreza Radan said security forces have stepped up their confrontation with what he called “rioters,” state media reported on Sunday.

Radan, commander of Iran’s Law Enforcement Command, said police had a duty to provide security for what he called legitimate demands while acting decisively against violence, the report said.

He described the unrest as a multi-layered operation and said authorities would pursue alleged organizers, online backers and people acting on the streets.

Iran’s nationwide internet blackout has passed the 60-hour mark, with overall connectivity hovering at around 1% of normal levels, internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Sunday.

“The censorship measure presents a direct threat to the safety and wellbeing of Iranians at a key moment for the country’s future,” NetBlocks said on X, as access to online communications remains largely cut across the country.

Israel has gone on high alert over the possibility the United States could intervene in Iran as authorities confront the biggest anti-government protests in years, Reuters cited three Israeli sources with knowledge of the matter as saying on Sunday.

US President Donald Trump has issued repeated warnings in recent days against the use of force on demonstrators and on Saturday said the United States was “ready to help.”

The Israeli sources, who were present for security consultations over the weekend, did not spell out what the high-alert posture involves.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the possibility of US intervention in Iran in a call on Saturday, according to an Israeli source, while a US official confirmed the call but gave no details.