The Internet has been almost completely shut down for four days in Iran, says Rouzbeh Parsi, Program Manager at the Middle East and North Africa Program at UI. According to Parsi, it has not been possible to shut down so much of the internet in the past.

- In the long run it is unsustainable with 95 per cent closed. It must be a temporary solution from the authorities' perspective. Probably the remaining 5 percent is the minimum the authorities themselves need, he says.

Some information

Because of the shutdown, it is difficult to know what is happening in the country. The uncertainty is great.

But more than 100 people have been killed in connection with the protests. Some appear to have been shot by the security forces, says Rouzbeh Parsi.

- They bring in the hard gloves and become brutal and have people dead. The idea is to deter. The effect can also be that people get angry instead. There are more dead ones in the past.

How many have died?

- It's hard to know. Amnesty International has calculated how well they are going. They arrived at 106 dead yesterday.

Stores were destroyed in Tehran in connection with demonstrations against higher gasoline prices. Photo November 20, 2019. Photo: Atta Kenare / AFP

"Gone fast"

He says that many more were killed by the authorities in the protests in November 2019, compared to the protests at the end of 2017/2018.

- It has gone fast and become very, very violent. As far as we know, some 30 people were killed during the previous unrest.

He says that in connection with the protests in 2009, the authorities shut down parts of the mobile phone network to prevent protesters from communicating.

The 2019 measure is much more powerful. The big question is how to turn the evil spiral.

More expensive gasoline

The protests are because the authorities have stopped subsidizing gasoline and the population has become accustomed to low gasoline prices. Then the protests broke out, says Parsi.

- This economic reform triggered the protests, which have, however, grown to deal with more fundamental issues. The big question is how the authorities should step down this. How should they try to calm this down in the long run?

- It's a bad economy. The US sanctions have contributed to the deterioration of the economy. The currency has collapsed, says Rouzbeh Parsi.

- Sooner or later you have to get used to people with the cheap gasoline prices and stop subsidizing gasoline. You have 40 percent inflation - unofficially, he concludes.