Iranian State TV Hacked as Protests Rock Country, Spread in Tehran

Iran's state-run TV was apparently hacked on Saturday, with a news bulletin interrupted by a protest against the country's leader.

The 9 p.m. broadcast was hacked for about 15 seconds just as footage of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was being shown.

A mask with a beard appeared on screen, followed by an image of Khamenei surrounded by flames and photos of Mahsa Amini and three other women killed in recent protests.

"The blood of our youth is dripping from your fingers," a caption said, referring to Khamenei. A hacker group called Edalate Ali, which translates to Ali's Justice, took credit for the hack.

"Following the request of our compatriots, we fulfilled our promise and did something unthinkable to free Iran," the group wrote on Twitter.

"Wake up and join us in the streets. We will continue our operations until the destruction of the corrupt system."

Protests have rocked Iran since Amini died on September 16. She died in the custody of Iran's feared morality police after being detained for allegedly violating Iran's strict Islamic dress codes for women.

The protests have been met by a fierce crackdown with at least 185 people, including at least 19 children, killed in the unrest, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights.

Videos on social media showed protests continued across Iran over the weekend, including in the capital Tehran.

Demonstrations took place in several neighborhoods in Tehran, at universities and in the city's bazaar on Saturday, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a long-standing opposition group.

Merchants shuttered their shops and gathered in the street chanting "death to the dictator," according to the group. A police cabin was set on fire, the group said.

Videos on social media showed protests also took place at Amirkabir University and Azad University in Tehran.

Meanwhile, female students at Tehran's Alzahra University reportedly chanted "get lost" as Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi visited their campus and condemned protesters.

They chanted "Raisi get lost" and "Mullahs must get lost" as the president visited their campus, according to videos posted on social media.

Footage circulating online showed protesters continued chanting anti-government slogans in Tehran's streets as night fell on Saturday.

At least four people were killed in protests on Saturday, according to the Iranian human rights group Hengaw.

They included a man who was shot dead after honking at security forces stationed on the street in the city of Sanandaj, Hengaw said. Video circulating online appeared to show him slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle, as witnesses yelled for help.

Newsweek has contacted Iran's foreign ministry for comment.