Ayatollah Ali Khamenei indicated that security forces would take strict action against protesters following overnight street marches, as demonstrations persist across the country.

Overnight, Iran faced a nationwide internet shutdown amid escalating anti-regime protests. This blackout severely limited communications throughout the country as the demonstrations entered their second week, with the reported death toll reaching 44. Live network data from NetBlocks showed internet traffic in the strife-torn nation collapsing on Thursday evening—shortly after calls for mass protests at 8 p.m. local time began circulating.

Khamenei’s warning about security forces came just days after President Trump vowed the U.S. would intervene if peaceful Iranian protesters were subjected to violence by the regime.

“If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump wrote in a post on Jan. 2.

Trump repeated this statement during an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, noting that if regime forces killed protesters, “they will be hit very hard.” The remark was shared on the State Department’s Farsi feed.

The Iranian leader brushed off Trump’s comments, stating that the U.S. president’s hands were “stained with the blood of Iranians” as supporters chanted “Death to America!” in footage aired on Iranian state TV, according to .

Khamenei also said that Iranian protesters were “ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy,” referring to Trump.

Brief videos allegedly showing anti-regime protests continued to circulate before the blackout cut off the nation from the internet and international calls, per the AP. The outlet observed that the clips appeared to depict protesters chanting against the Iranian regime around bonfires, with debris littering streets in Tehran and other areas. Iranian state media claimed “terrorist agents” from the U.S. and Israel set the fires and sparked the violence, the AP reported.

Exiled Iranian Crown Prince , Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi—who fled Iran shortly before the 1979 Islamic Revolution—called for Thursday night’s protests. Pahlavi stated on X that he was proud of all those who demonstrated against the regime that evening.

“I am proud of each and every one of you who took over the streets across Iran on Thursday night… You saw how the massive crowds forced the repressive forces to retreat,” Pahlavi said. “Those of you who were hesitant, join your fellow compatriots on Friday night.”

Pahlavi encouraged Friday’s protests to be even larger than the previous night’s, saying this would further weaken the Islamic Republic’s regime. He also expressed confidence that demonstrators would not give up amid internet blackouts, assuring them victory was theirs.

Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The Associated Press and Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.