<\/p>\n
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) \u2014 Just after 8 p.m. Thursday, Iran’s theocracy pulled the plug<\/a> and disconnected the Islamic Republic’s 85 million people from the rest of the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Following a playbook used both in demonstrations and in war<\/a>, Iran severed the internet connections and telephone lines that connect its people to the vast diaspora in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Until now, even while facing strict sanctions over the country’s nuclear program, Iranians still could access mobile phone apps and even websites blocked by the theocracy, using virtual private networks to circumvent restrictions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thursday’s decision sharply limits people from sharing images and witness accounts of the nationwide protests over Iran’s ailing economy that have grown to pose the biggest challenge to the government in years. It also could provide cover for a violent crackdown after the Trump administration warned Iran’s government<\/a> about consequences for further deaths among demonstrators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As the country effectively goes dark, loved ones abroad are frantic for any scrap of news, especially as Iran\u2019s attorney general warned on Saturday<\/a> that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an \u201cenemy of God,\u201d a death-penalty charge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t understand our feelings. My brothers, my cousins, they will go on the street. You can\u2019t imagine the anxiety of the Iranian diaspora,\u201d said Azam Jangravi, a cybersecurity expert in Toronto who opposes Iran’s government. \u201cI couldn\u2019t work yesterday. I had meetings but I postponed them because I couldn\u2019t focus. I was thinking of my family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Her voice cracked as she added: \u201cA lot of people are being killing and injured by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we don\u2019t know who.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This is the third time Iran has shut down the internet from the outside world. The first was in 2019, when demonstrators angry about a spike in government-subsidized gasoline prices took to the streets. Over 300 people reportedly were killed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n