Phone calls from Iran to overseas resume after weeklong shutdown

People in Iran were able to make phone calls abroad on Tuesday, January 13, nearly a week after the state imposed an internet shutdown on January 8, according to ground reports from AP and CNN. However, people outside the country were still unable to place calls to Iran.

SMS text messaging remained down, and internet users inside Iran were unable to access foreign websites, though limited connectivity to government-approved platforms was still available.

The restrictions were imposed after thousands

of Iranians took to the streets for more than two weeks in what has become the country’s worst protests in years. At least 2,000 people—including security personnel and protesters—have died in the unrest so far, an Iranian official told Reuters.

Triggered by the freefall of the rial to 1.48 million against the US dollar on December 28 and rampant inflation, the protests began with Tehran’s merchants in the final days of 2025. They have since spread nationwide, with demonstrations reported across all 31 provinces and calls for a change of government.

Also Read: Not the first time: A timeline of Iran’s major protests over the last 30 years

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that he believes the protests signal the “final days and weeks” of Iran’s current clerical leadership.

“If a regime can only stay in power through violence, then it is effectively finished. I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” he told reporters.

US President Donald Trump urged protesters to continue and hold their leaders accountable, saying that “help is on the way.”

Trump had earlier warned the Iranian government against using violence to crack down on demonstrators, threatened “military action,” and imposed a 25% tariff on countries that continue to do business with Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister told Al Jazeera that Tehran is prepared for any move by the US, including war, but hopes Washington will choose dialogue over weapons.