A new academic semester has just begun in Iran, and already, students across several universities have taken to the streets in powerful anti-government protests. Reports from state media, student organizations, and verified videos confirm that these demonstrations erupted on Saturday, signaling a fresh wave of defiance.
These campus-based actions follow a mere month after a brutal government crackdown ruthlessly suppressed a previous protest movement. That earlier wave of dissent had aimed squarely at overthrowing Iran’s authoritarian clerical leadership. It was the unwavering activism of students and the support of Tehran’s historic bazaar shopkeepers that transformed those initial protests into a formidable nationwide movement, one that, for a time, genuinely imperiled the ruling regime.
In the heart of Tehran, vast student crowds, dressed in solemn black to honor those lost in previous protests, convened on Saturday. They marched and rallied at two of the nation’s most esteemed technology institutions: Sharif University and Amirkabir University.
On the grounds of Sharif University, demonstrators defiantly chanted “Death to the dictator!” – a direct challenge to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Verified social media footage captured these powerful scenes, including one video showing heated confrontations and jostling within a large crowd, suggesting clashes between different protest factions.
According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting network, a state-controlled media outlet, the demonstration at Sharif University began as a silent sit-in. However, it quickly escalated into a full-fledged gathering, marked by the chanting of “subversive slogans,” leading to a palpable rise in campus tension.
Meanwhile, at Amirkabir University, a student group’s Telegram post revealed protesters chanting, “Our target is the entire system.” They also claimed that some students were arrested when police cordoned off the university entrance, though further details were scarce. Contradicting this, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported no arrests, while the state broadcasting network downplayed the campus tensions as “limited and short-term.”
The wave of protests wasn’t confined to Tehran. Student groups at a university in Mashhad, in Iran’s northeastern region, and at Shahid Beheshti University, located just outside the capital, also organized their own demonstrations, as confirmed by statements from campus organizations.
The Iranian government has maintained public silence regarding these latest protests, even as state-affiliated news outlets acknowledge a rising tension across university campuses.
Historically, Iranian students, especially those within universities, have been central to the nation’s fight for democratic reform. Their activism played a crucial role in the 1979 revolution that overthrew the monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. In response, the Iranian government has consistently cracked down on campuses, leading to arrests and, on occasion, outright bans from higher education.
The government claims over 3,000 lives were lost during the January crackdown on protesters. However, human rights organizations, such as the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, report a much higher toll of at least 7,000 deaths, with expectations that these numbers will increase as more fatalities are confirmed.
These tragic casualties, predominantly occurring over three nights in early January, mark some of the deadliest civil unrest in Iran’s contemporary history. Undeterred, the government continues its repressive tactics, rounding up dissidents and actively prosecuting individuals it identifies as instigators of the unrest.