Trump threatens to hit Iran ´very hard´

Anti-government protests erupted in Tehran on Thursday, as Iranians angered by a flailing economy and crackdowns by security forces marched through the streets of the capital and shouted slogans against the ruling theocratic regime, reported Cable News Network (CNN).

Authorities cut internet access and telephone lines in Iran immediately after the protests began. An internet watchdog organization described the move as a precursor to a possible violent crackdown, although the blackout did not immediately prevent the posting of videos of the protests, said the CNN report.

Iran's capital, Tehran, and several other parts of the country experienced an internet blackout on Thursday, reported Xinhua, quoting an internet monitoring group said.

NetBlocks, the monitoring group, said on its website that, "Live metrics show Iran is now in the midst of a nationwide internet blackout."

Xinhua reporters based in Tehran have experienced the blackout, starting from around 8:15 p.m. local time (1645 GMT).

The blackout is reportedly the consequence of ongoing protests in several Iranian cities since late last month, including the latest in Tehran on Thursday, over the sharp fall in the rial and long-standing economic hardships.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported Thursday that 23 police officers and one "rioter" were injured during clashes in northeastern Iran's Khorasan Razavi over the past days, amid protests in the province.

Five people were killed in an attack by "rioters" on a police station in the province on Wednesday night, it added.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened again to strike Iran "very hard" if its authorities "start killing people" protesting in the Middle Eastern country, reported Xinhua.

"I have let them know that if they start killing people ... we are going to hit them very hard," Trump said in an interview with a conservative radio.

Trump and other senior U.S. officials recently warned on several occasions that Washington would act if Iran "kills peaceful protesters."

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned what it described as "interventionist and deceptive" remarks by U.S. officials on recent unrest in the country, saying they reflected Washington's continued hostility toward the Iranian people.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the ministry said U.S. comments on Iran's internal affairs were part of a long-standing policy of pressure and interference, rather than genuine concern for the welfare of Iranians.

Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late last month over the sharp fall in the rial and long-standing economic hardships. Iranian authorities have acknowledged the demonstrations and said they are willing to address economic grievances, while warning against violence, vandalism and unrest.

Dozens of people, including protesters and members of the security forces, have been killed since the protests began, according to various reports. There is no official figure for the death toll.

U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. officials have warned several occasions that Washington would act if Iran "kills peaceful protesters."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry rejected those statements, saying they were aimed at stirring instability and were a continuation of the U.S. "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

It said Iran's economic difficulties were largely the result of a "full-scale economic and financial war" waged by the United States through "illegal and cruel" sanctions.

The ministry added that U.S. policy toward Iran is "a combination of psychological warfare, media campaigns, spread of false information, threats of military intervention and incitement of violence and terrorism," which violated the United Nations Charter and international law.