Iran has entered a 14th night of protests as authorities intensified crackdowns and Western leaders -- including US President Donald Trump -- stepped up pressure on Tehran.

Speaking at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House on January 9, Trump said that "Iran is in big trouble. It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago."

"We're watching the situation very carefully. I've made the statement very strongly that if they start killing people like they have in the past, we will get involved. We will be hitting them very hard where it hurts. That does not mean boots on the ground, but it does mean hitting them very, very hard where it hurts."

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This was followed up by ashort post on Xby US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 10, stating that the United States supports the brave people of Iran.

The protests, which began on Tehran's Grand Bazaar on December 28, quickly snowballed, spreading to dozens of towns and cities.

By the evening of January 8, videos poured in from nearly every corner of the country showing huge crowds chanting and marching.

Authorities first throttled nationwide Internet speeds before enforcing a near-total blackout at 10:15 p.m. local time on January 8, severing phone lines too.