Iran: International calls resume but internet still cut

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is on a state visit to India, has said the protests in Iran could spell the end of the country's Islamic regime.

Protests that began as demonstrations against the severe economic crisis in Iran have since grown into broader calls for regime change.

"If a regime can only ‌maintain ⁠power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime," Merz said in Bengaluru.

"I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks ⁠of this regime," the chancellor said.

On the first day of his trip to India on Monday, Merz had condemned the crackdown by Iran's security forces as "disproportionate" and "brutal."

Merz said the foreign ministers from Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom and France were closely coordinating to "ensure that there can now be a peaceful transition in Iran to a democratically legitimate government."

"I hope that there is a way to end this conflict peacefully," he said.

For more on Merz's trip to India, follow our live blog.

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China's foreign ministry has said that Beijing will "resolutely safeguard" its rights and interests.

The remarks by the ministry's spokeswoman Mao Ning on Tuesday were in response to President Donald Trump's warning that the US would impose 25% tariffs on countries that trade with Iran.

"We have always believed that there are no winners in a tariff war, and China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the spokeswoman said when asked about Trump's announcement.

Iran is a major source of oil for Beijing.

Trump's warning on Monday came as the US considers its response to the violent crackdown by Iran's clerical authorities on anti-government protests sweeping the country.

Washington has said it would prefer diplomatic options to resolve the situation, but has not ruled out military action.

Several people were able to speak to an AP journalist in Dubai, providing a glimpse into what life is like on the streets of Tehran amid the crackdown.

They described a heavy security presence in the center of the Iranian capital, including anti-riot police officers deployed at major intersections, wielding shields, shotguns, batons and tear gas launchers.

Members of the Revolutionary Guard's volunteer Basij force and plainclothes security officials were also visible in public spaces.

Witnesses, who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, described to AP how banks and government offices were burned during the protests.

Shops, however, were open, despite there being very few customers on the streets in Tehran on Tuesday morning.

The Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began in on December 28 with merchants going on strike to protest the dire economic situation in the country, was set to open on Tuesday.

One witness said they had spoken to multiple shopkeepers in the bazaar who said they have been ordered by security personnel to reopen.

Iranian state media made no mention of such an order.

Iranians were finally able to call the outside world on Tuesday morning, over four and a half days after Iran's clerical regime imposed a communications blackout to suppress growing anti-government protests.

People were able to make international phone calls on their mobile phones for the first time since Friday. But people from outside Iran were unable to make calls into the country.

The internet and text messaging were also still blocked. The blackout has been in effect for over 108 hours, according to monitor Netblocks.

The communications blackout was imposed as Iranian authorities began a violent crackdown to suppress the uprising sweeping the nation.

Over 648 people have been killed, Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) said Monday.

The protests are the most serious challenge to the Islamic regime, which has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution, since the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement that followed the death in police custody of Iranian-Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022.

Thank you for joining us as we bring you the latest on the anti-government protests in Iran that have been sweeping the country for over two weeks.

Over four and a half days after all internet and phone services in the country were blocked, Iranians were able to call the outside world again on Tuesday morning. But the internet and calls into the country remain cut off.

Hundreds of protesters have been killed while the blackout has been in effect, witnesses and rights groups have said.

Meanwhile, China has said it will protect its interests in Iran, a day after US President Donald Trump warned Washington would impose a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran.

Trump has also said the US is considering airstrikes, but would prefer diplomacy as a solution to the violent crackdown on protesters.

Follow along as DW brings you the latest on the protests in Iran.