Iran Protests: 'Gen Z' Takes To Streets Again; Holds Demonstrations Against Islamic Regime, Khamenei

Tehran: Massive anti-government protests in Iran were crushed following a brutal crackdown that left thousands dead. On Saturday, 40 days after that bloody incident, students (Gen Z) again took to the streets and universities to protest against the Islamic regime. According to reports, hundreds of students chanted slogans like "Down with the dictator," "Down with Khamenei," "Murderous leader," and "Be Sharaf" (shameful).

These protests are a continuation of a larger movement sparked by economic crisis, inflation, and discontent that began in December 2025 and peaked in January 2026. Security forces and the Basij militia attempted to suppress these new demonstrations with force, leading to clashes and reports of injuries.

What is happening on social media?

Videos circulating on social media show large crowds clashing in a packed area at Tehran's premier engineering university. People were reportedly heard shouting "Be Sharaf," meaning shameful in Persian. Footage shared by Iran International showed a large crowd chanting anti-government slogans at Tehran's Sharif University of Technology. The news agency reported that paramilitary units affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were sent in to suppress the protesters, leading to the forceful crackdown. Later, Fars News Agency reported injuries in clashes at the university.

Reuters reports that a video allegedly shows lines of protesters at Sharif University denouncing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "murderous leader" and urging Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's deposed Shah, to become the new emperor. According to a video released by the human rights group HAALVSH, demonstrations were also reported at Beheshti and Amir Kabir universities in Tehran and Mashhad University in the northeast. In the western city of Abdanan, considered a hotbed of protests, protesters chanted "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to the dictator" after the arrest of an activist teacher, according to human rights group Hengaw and social media posts.

When did the student protests begin?

Unrest began in December due to a prolonged period of economic pressure, but it escalated into large-scale anti-government demonstrations, which security forces suppressed with violent action. Religious leaders say more than 3,000 people were killed, but they claim the violence was the result of "terrorist acts" carried out by Iran's enemies. However, the US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) estimates that over 7,000 people died in this crackdown, most of whom were protesters, although the actual number may be much higher.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials initially acknowledged the legitimacy of the protesters' economic concerns, but as the demonstrations openly turned against the government, they accused their rivals, the United States and Israel, of inciting the riots. This crackdown prompted US President Donald Trump to threaten military action, though he later shifted his focus to Iran's nuclear program, which Western governments fear is aimed at building a bomb.

The US and Iran recently resumed talks on a possible agreement under Oman's mediation, but Washington has also increased its military presence in the region, sending two aircraft carriers, jets, and weapons.