Iran Deploys War-Tested Tactics to Crush Protests, From Drones to Internet Blackout

Iran has accelerated the suppression of nationwide protests by adopting war-time tools—drones, signal jammers, a rapid propaganda apparatus, and a sweeping internet blackout—alongside heavy police and Basij deployments. Protests are now framed as foreign-backed, with state media pushing fear and claims of collateral violence, and experts say the regime is willing to use deadly force to quell dissent, marking a shift from traditional policing to militarized repression.