The protests have come to encompass a range of issues, including economic grievances, censorship and government impunity.

Iran’s leaders have responded with force — as they did after the previous wave of mass protests, in 2019. Instagram and WhatsApp are now blocked and access to the internet and cellular service is down or slowed in much of the country.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) appeared to signal it would step up its response Thursday, calling on the judiciary to prosecute protesters. Some demonstrators have targeted police stations and IRGC forces.