Iran eases some restrictions, allowing overseas calls as death toll rises

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and allowed them to make phone calls abroad through their mobile phones on Tuesday for the first time in days. It did not ease internet restrictions or allow texting services to be restored as the death toll rose to at least 646 in days of bloody anti-state protests.

Although Iranians were able to make calls abroad, people outside the country could not, several people in the capital told The Associated Press.

Witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said SMS text messaging was still blocked and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites.

It was unclear whether the restrictions would be eased after authorities cut off all communications within the country and with the outside world late Thursday.

Here’s the latest.

France has ‘reconfigured’ its embassy in Tehran

The French foreign ministry said it had “reconfigured” its embassy in Tehran following reports that redundant staff at the facility had left Iran earlier this week.

Non-essential embassy staff left the country on Sunday and Monday, the French news agency Agence France-Presse reported.

The ambassador remained at the site and the embassy continued to operate, the ministry said Monday night.

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Angela Charlton contributed from Paris.

German chancellor believes Iranian government is in its ‘last days and weeks’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believed the Iranian government was in its “last days and weeks”, as he renewed calls for Iranian authorities to immediately end violence against protesters.

“If a regime can only hold itself to power by force, it is effectively over,” Merz said on a visit to Bengaluru, India, on Tuesday. “I believe we are now witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime. In any case, it has no legitimacy through elections among the population. The population is now rising against this regime.”

Merz said that “there is a possibility of a peaceful end to this conflict,” adding that Germany is in close contact with the US and European governments.

Israel says it is on alert due to Iran’s protests

The Israeli military continues to “stay alert for surprise scenarios” due to the ongoing protests in Iran, but it has made no changes to its guidelines for civilians before a concrete threat.

Israeli army spokesman Brigadier said, ‘The protest in Iran is an internal matter. General Effie Defrin wrote in X.

Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear program in the summer, resulting in a 12-day war that killed about 1,200 Iranians and about 30 Israelis. Last week, Iran threatened to attack Israel if Israel or America attacked.

Iranian mobile phones can make calls abroad but the internet remains off outside

Mobile phones in Iran were able to make calls abroad on Tuesday after a nationwide crackdown on protests cut internet and international calls. Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press.

The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, could not return calls to those numbers.

Eyewitnesses said the internet remained closed to the outside world. Iran shut down internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.

Activists put the death toll at at least 646

Activists put the death toll in the ongoing protests at at least 646.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years, gave the death toll early Tuesday morning. The agency relies on supporters to cross-check information on Iran.

The agency said 512 protesters and 134 members of the security forces were among the dead.

The agency said more than 10,700 people were arrested during the two-week protests.