PARIS – Iranians took to the streets in new protests against the clerical authorities overnight despite an internet shutdown, as rights groups warned on Jan 11 that the authorities were committing a “massacre” to quell the demonstrations.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have now become a movement against the theocratic regime that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution and

have already lasted two weeks

The mass rallies are one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of

Israel’s 12-day war against the Islamic republic

Videos posted to social media showed large crowds taking to the streets in new protests in several Iranian cities including the capital Tehran and Mashhad in the east, where images showed vehicles set on fire.

The videos filtered out despite a total shutdown of the internet in Iran that has rendered impossible normal communication with the outside world via messaging apps or even phone lines.

The internet blackout “is now past the 60 hour mark... The censorship measure presents a direct threat to the safety and well-being of Iranians at a key moment for the country’s future”, monitor Netblocks said early on Jan 11.

Several circulating videos, which have not been verified by AFP, allegedly showed relatives in a Tehran morgue identifying bodies of protesters killed in the crackdown.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of 116 people in connection with the protests, inc...