Iranian students defy regime forces on third consecutive day of protests, vowing to end clerical tyranny

2026-02-23 - 23:53

On Monday, February 23, 2026, a massive wave of anti-regime protests swept through Iranian universities for the third consecutive day. Students across the country’s most prominent academic institutions boycotted classes and transformed their campuses into scenes of direct resistance against the ruling theocracy. Demonstrations spanned major universities in the capital, including Tehran University, Al-Zahra, Sharif University of Technology, Amir Kabir, National (Beheshti), Science and Technology, Khajeh Nasir, and Science and Culture, as well as Isfahan University of Technology (IUT) and Ferdowsi and Sajjad universities in Mashhad. The core message of the youth was a categorical rejection of the regime’s tyranny, echoing through chants of “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator.” Escalation and Direct Confrontation on Campuses The third day of protests saw intensified, direct confrontations between unarmed students and the regime’s suppressive forces. At Al-Zahra University in Tehran, students gathered outside the Art Faculty at 11:00 AM, adhering to a pre-planned call to protest. When government Basij forces attempted to aggressively push through the crowd to disrupt the rally, the students stood their ground, pushing back and repeatedly chanting, “Dishonorable, dishonorable” at the agents. February 23—Tehran, Iran During today's protest rally at Al-Zahra University, the regime's security forces attacked students. Students stood their ground and chanted slogans against the regime.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/abMerQfKrZ — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 23, 2026 Similar clashes erupted at Sharif University, where students rallied in front of the campus cafeteria. Demonstrators actively confronted Basij mercenaries, tearing down pictures of regime leaders and chanting, “This is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali [Khamenei] will be overthrown!” At Khajeh Nasir University, the protests resumed with students declaring, “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is invalid.” Beyond the capital, students at the Isfahan University of Technology (IUT) took to the campus streets, targeting the entirety of the clerical establishment. Their chants included, “We will not have a country as long as the mullahs are in power!” and “So many years of crime, down with the rule of the mullahs!” Back in Tehran, at the Science and Culture University, students added their voices to the nationwide uprising, chanting, “I will kill whoever killed my brother.” More footage of the regime's Basij forces attacking student protest rally at Tehran University.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/1C7aExPDjC — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 23, 2026 Rejecting All Dictatorships: “Neither Shah nor Mullah” A defining feature of the ongoing student uprising is its ideological clarity. Protesters have consistently drawn a firm line against both the current clerical regime and the deposed monarchy. At Tehran University and Amir Kabir University, students chanted, “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader,” and “Neither monarchy, nor leadership; democracy, equality.” These slogans build upon the momentum of the previous days. On February 22, a collective of students from Tehran University issued a formal manifesto declaring that the youth will not accept any dictatorship, whether it comes with “turbans” or “boots.” This statement followed incidents where embedded Basij mercenaries attempted to hijack campus rallies by shouting pro-monarchy slogans (“Javid Shah”) to delegitimize the students’ democratic demands—a provocation the students immediately repelled, publicly exposing the tactical alignment between the current clerical regime and monarchist opportunists. Honoring the Martyrs: “We Did Not Give Martyrs to Praise a Murderer” The rallies served as a powerful commemoration of those killed during the recent nationwide uprisings. At Al-Zahra University, students held up placards and photographs of the martyrs from the January protests, chanting, “We did not give martyrs to compromise and praise the murderous leader.” They also called for the immediate release of political prisoners. Tehran University became a focal point for these tributes. In the Theology Department, students held a memorial for uprising martyr Mohammad-Reza Morad-Ali. Concurrently, a large gathering in the Languages Department honored martyr Zahra (Raha) Bohloulipour. Mourning her death at the hands of the state, the students chanted, “This crushed flower is a gift to the homeland.” February 23—Tehran, Iran Students at Tehran University held protest rally in commemoration of fellow students who were murdered by the regime during the January uprising. They chanted slogans against the regime, including, "For every person killed, a thousand will rise" and "We... pic.twitter.com/sBb50q8Iul — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 23, 2026 Defying the regime’s systemic violence, the students at Tehran University made their resolve clear amid physical clashes with Basij forces in the university courtyard, chanting, “For every person killed, a thousand will rise,” and “We swear on the blood of our comrades, we will stand till the end!” The students’ defiance is occurring in the immediate shadow of a horrific state crackdown. The current protests are a direct continuation of the massive nationwide uprising that began on December 28, 2025. Originally sparked by a strike among bazaar merchants in central Tehran over the plunging rial, skyrocketing inflation, and business bankruptcies, the movement rapidly metastasized. Within days, the demands shifted from economic relief to explicit calls for the overthrow of the clerical establishment across multiple provinces. Unable to contain the expanding geographic and social scope of the protests, the regime resorted to systemic slaughter. The government imposed severe communication blackouts and quelled the initial wave of protests through brutal repression, murdering thousands of civilians, including hundreds of children. Yet, the persistence of the university protests demonstrates that the state’s violence has failed to pacify the Iranian people. The unyielding presence of students on campus, facing down security forces and demanding a free, democratic republic, proves that the blood spilled by the regime has only hardened the nation’s resolve to end decades of clerical dictatorship.