{"id":341638,"date":"2026-01-16T22:59:25","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T21:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=341638"},"modified":"2026-01-17T16:06:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T15:06:46","slug":"iran-uprising-day-20-nation-defies-180-hour-internet-blackout-and-martial-law-as-regime-deploys-tanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/iran-uprising-day-20-nation-defies-180-hour-internet-blackout-and-martial-law-as-regime-deploys-tanks\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Uprising Day 20: Nation Defies 180-Hour Internet Blackout and Martial Law as Regime Deploys Tanks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Iran
Iran Protests\u2014 January 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the 20th consecutive day of Iran’s nationwide uprising, the clerical regime has intensified its efforts to isolate the country from the world, implementing a digital blockade of unprecedented scale. According to global internet monitor NetBlocks, the total internet blackout in Iran has now exceeded 180 hours, surpassing the duration of the notorious shutdown during the November 2019 massacre. Despite this information vacuum and the implementation of undeclared martial law in major cities, reports leaking out on Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, confirm that the regime has failed to silence the streets.<\/p>\n

Tehran Under Siege: A Capital Garrisoned<\/strong><\/p>\n

The capital has been transformed into a military garrison. Reports from Tehran indicate that the regime, fearful of the escalating momentum of the protests, has deployed heavy security contingents across the metropolis. \u2018NOPO\u2019 special forces have blockaded Jomhouri Square and its surrounding arteries. In neighborhoods including Pirouzi, Gorgan, Naziabad, Yousefabad, Sattar Khan, and the First and Third Squares of Tehranpars, security forces have established a suffocating presence. Twenty-four-hour motorcycle patrols, equipped with Kalashnikovs and shotguns, are now a fixture in these districts.<\/p>\n

Yet, the heavy boot of the security apparatus has not deterred the population. On Wednesday and Thursday nights, defiant youths in the Pirouzi and Tehranpars districts engaged in hit-and-run clashes with suppressive forces, chanting anti-regime slogans. In a significant escalation in Qolhak, rebellious youths set fire to an ammunition depot belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the paramilitary Basij.<\/p>\n

Escalation in the Provinces: Tanks in the Streets<\/h2>\n

While Tehran remains under a security lockdown, the situation in the provinces indicates the regime is losing its grip on local governance. In Khorramabad, western Iran, authorities have resorted to deploying tanks at key points throughout the city, a desperate measure reportedly driven by the fear that government buildings were on the verge of falling into the hands of protesters.<\/p>\n

In Rafsanjan, the unrest has targeted the economic symbols of the theocracy. On Thursday night, youths engaged in clashes with special units, setting ablaze the local offices of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, the post office, and a state-owned bank. Similar scenes of defiance played out in Kermanshah, Islamabad-e Gharb, and Ilam, where hit-and-run battles continued late into the night. Reports suggest that state forces have effectively lost control over parts of the mountainous regions in these areas.<\/p>\n

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January 2026\u2014Dezful, southwest Iran
Newly obtained video shows security forces using firearms against civilians during the nationwide uprising.#IranProtests<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/MaifeN2Iqh<\/a><\/p>\n

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n