Iran to consider lifting internet ban; state TV hacked

Iran may lift its internet blackout in a few ‍days, a senior Parliament member said on Monday (January 19, 2026), after authorities shut communications while they used massive force to crush ​protests in the worst domestic unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

In the latest sign ‌of weakness in the authorities’ control, state television appeared to be hacked late ​on Sunday, briefly showing speeches by U.S. President Donald Trump and the son of Iran’s deposed shah calling on the public to revolt.

Iran’s streets have largely been quiet for a week, authorities and social media posts indicated, since anti-government protests that began in late December were put down in three days of mass violence.

An Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the confirmed death toll was more than 5,000, including 500 members of the security forces, with some of ​the worst unrest taking place in ethnic Kurdish areas in the northwest. Western-based Iranian rights ⁠groups also say thousands were killed.