Text update via Starlink: “In our town, the turnout in response to the call—especially on the first night and even more so on the second night—was unprecedented. No one in my ancestral hometown has ever seen crowds like this in their lifetime. The presence of the younger generation among...
This is another report from one of my contacts. He lives in a city in central Iran. I am not disclosing the city because he might be the only person with a Starlink there and I don’t want to put him at risk:
“In our town, the turnout in response to the call—especially on the first night and even more so on the second night—was unprecedented. No one in my ancestral hometown has ever seen crowds like this in their lifetime. The presence of the younger generation among the protesters was striking, but all generations were present and chanting.
No one was killed here, but the arrests were unprecedented and widespread, to the extent that turnout for the calls on Saturday and Sunday was much lower. Essentially, the entire city was under security control, and no one had the ability to resist.
The SMS system is still down, but phone calls within the country are possible during the day. At night, for the past four days, all calls have been cut off. Sending messages on the Islamic Republic’s domestic messaging apps is currently not possible, although mobile banking apps have been working properly since yesterday.
In smaller towns, sustaining protests is difficult, whereas it is easier in large cities. Calls to action also need heavy promotion and a proper buildup of momentum; otherwise, people’s morale becomes worn down.”
Posted Jan 11, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC