Iranians rally in New Zealand in support of protesters back home

Finnish lawmaker Mika Aaltola called on European governments to take what he described as immediate and tougher action against Iran’s leadership, including recalling ambassadors, cutting trade and designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.

“Europe must stop legitimizing Iran’s murderous regime,” Aaltola, a member of the European Parliament, wrote on X.

He urged EU countries impose sanctions on Iran’s clerical elite and invite exiled figure Reza Pahlavi to Brussels.

Protesters took to the streets in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan after Friday prayers on Jan. 16, chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to videos received by Iran International.

Footage showed demonstrators shouting slogans including “Khamenei is a killer, his rule is illegitimate.”

The US State Department said on Friday that Iran’s nationwide internet shutdown had entered its second week, accusing the country’s leaders of trying to hide a violent crackdown.

“The total and nationwide internet cutoff in Iran has now entered its second week, more than 190 hours in which the Islamic Republic regime has deliberately cut off the Iranian people from the world,” the department’s Persian-language account said on X.

“Censoring a nation cannot silence their voice for freedom or hide the violent actions of the Islamic Republic regime,” it added. “The world is watching.”

The Munich Security Conference has withdrawn invitations previously sent to Iranian government representatives, and no official from Iran will attend the upcoming event, a conference spokesperson told Iran International on Friday.

The spokesperson said that although invitations had been issued to some Iranian officials weeks ago, they were no longer valid “in light of recent developments” and would not be renewed.

Asked whether the conference might invite representatives from Iran’s opposition or civil society, the spokesperson said organizers were closely monitoring the situation but would not provide further details at this stage of preparations.

Videos received by Iran International showed a heavy security presence around Makki Mosque in the southeastern Iranian city of Zahedan on Friday.

Makki Mosque is the main Sunni place of worship in the city and has in recent years become a focal point for protests and public gatherings.