ISTANBUL

With protests in Iran on their 12th day Thursday, the public also faced a cutoff of both the internet and phone service.

A nationwide strike in almost all provinces saw many shopkeepers closing their shutters.

In the evening, large-scale protests began across all provinces, and the internet and phone service were also cut off, according to NetBlocks and media reports.

In major cities like the capital Tehran as well as Mashhad and Shiraz, widespread involvement was seen for the first time.

The current Iranian government began in 1979, when the late shah was overthrown in a dramatic revolution.

Low-intensity protests also began in Turkish-majority provinces such as Tabriz and Ardabil.

Clashes also started between the separatist terror group PJAK and Iranian security forces in Kurdish-majority regions of the country.

According to a statement, two Iranian soldiers lost their lives in the clashes.

In another city, Qazvin, a security officer was lynched.

On the ongoing protests, US President Trump on Thursday said that if Iran kills people, the US “will hit them hard.”

“I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots … we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said in a radio interview.

Asked about the death toll in the protests, Trump said: “I’m not sure I can necessarily hold somebody responsible for that, but … they’ve been told very strongly – even more strongly than I’m speaking to you right now – that if they do that, they’re going to have to pay hell.”

Trump said last week that Washington would “come to the rescue” of protesters if Tehran uses lethal force against demonstrators – a remark that sparked anger from top Iranian officials.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the “interference in Iran’s internal affairs” by the US amid protests in various cities.

Tehran emphasized in a statement on the Foreign Ministry website that the US “harbors hostility toward the Iranian people” and denounced what it described as the US’s deceptive conduct and policies toward Iran.

- Waves of protests since late December

For now, the police have not intervened forcefully. In fact, in some areas, the police are not even present.

No statement has been issued by the Iranian government or the judiciary.

Iran has been rocked by waves of protests since last month, starting on Dec. 28 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, over the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. Demonstrations later spread to several other cities across the country.

Iranian authorities have not released official figures on casualties. However, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said in a report Wednesday that at least 38 people have been killed, including four members of the security forces.

The agency also reported dozens of injuries and 2,217 arrests.

An Iranian police officer was killed in clashes during protests near the capital Tehran, local media reported on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency said the number of police officers injured during the protests rose to 568, while 66 members of the paramilitary Basij forces were also wounded.