Iran's supreme leader says protesters are 'ruining their own streets' to please Trump - as internet blackout imposed

Iran's supreme leader has warned of a crackdown on protesters and accused them of "ruining" the country to please US President Donald Trump - as tens of thousands marched through the streets of Tehran.

Demonstrations in the capital sparked by a struggling economy have spread to other cities, increasing pressure on the country's leadership.

The country was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities imposed a nationwide internet blackout, with state media blaming the protests on "terrorist agents" from the US and Israel.

In a brief address aired by state television on Friday, Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of Mr Trump.

He said "vandals and rioters" were "ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy".

Tehran would not tolerate people acting as "mercenaries for foreigners", he warned.

An audience in his address shouted "death to America" - mimicking the "death to the dictator" chants during the protests.

Iran's judiciary chief warned protesters they faced "maximum" and "decisive" punishment "without any legal leniency".

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei's remarks were reported by state television after the supreme leader's defiant televised address.

State news agency Tasnim reported several police officers were shot dead by "armed protesters".

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Watch: Why are violent protests erupting in Iran?

Nearly 20 flights between Dubai and Iranian cities scheduled for Friday have been cancelled, according to the Dubai Airports website.

Earlier, a brief report - low down in the Friday morning news bulletin on state TV - represented the first official word on the protests sweeping across the country.

It said the unrest has seen "people's private cars, motorcycles, public places such as the metro, fire trucks and buses set on fire", adding there have been casualties.

Figures from the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency suggest 34 protesters and four security personnel have been killed, with 2,200 arrests.

Internet blackout as protests spread

Demonstrations first began in Tehran last month - triggered by a sharp slide in the value of the rial currency - but have since expanded across the country.

They represent the most significant challenge to the government in several years.

The internet blackout started late on Thursday and extended into Friday, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.

The blackout also applied to international phone calls.

The internet was shut down "to prevent the world from seeing the protests", said Holly Dagras, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute.

"Unfortunately, it also likely provided cover for security forces to kill protesters."

Read more: Why are people protesting in Iran?

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Inside Iran's protests

Call by the exiled crown prince

Large protests on Thursday night followed a call by the country's exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration.

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, whose fatally ill father fled Iran just before the country's Islamic Revolution in 1979, had said in a statement: "Great nation of Iran, the eyes of the world are upon you.

"Take to the streets and, as a united front, shout your demands.

"I warn the Islamic Republic, its leader and the (Revolutionary Guard) that the world and (President Donald Trump) are closely watching you. Suppression of the people will not go unanswered."

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He added after Thursday's protests: "Iranians demanded their freedom tonight. In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication. It has shut down the Internet. It has cut landlines. It may even attempt to jam satellite signals."

Mr Trump, who bombed Iran last summer, warned the Iranian government last week the US could come to the protesters' aid.

The US president said on Friday he would not meet Mr Pahlavi and was "not sure that it would be appropriate" to back him.