Iran’s supreme leader has warned the government would not “back down,” as rights groups fear the communications blackout in place could presage a brutal crackdown.

Anti-government protests in Iran accelerated, sparked by anger over the collapse of the country's currency and a broader sense of disillusionment

The demonstrations were triggered by a collapse in Iran's currency and started last month with shopkeepers in Tehran.

On Saturday, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, Iran’s attorney general, warned that demonstrators would be considered an “enemy of God” (mohareb), a death-penalty charge, according to the Associated Press. Georgetown University professor Nader Hashemi told Newsweek in an email Saturday,

Iranian state media has accused “terrorist agents” of the U.S. and Israel of setting fires and sparking violence during recent demonstrations

Protesters ignored threats of severe punishment from Iran’s leaders and warnings from rights groups about undocumented killings as they poured out onto the streets of cities across the country late Fr

Iran escalated its threats against demonstrators Saturday, with the country’s attorney general warning that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

At least 45 people have been killed in anti-regime protests in Iran since December, according to an Iran Human Rights NGO, as the country’s near-total internet blackout enters its second day. CNN’s Paula Hancocks reports.