Iranian students face down security forces on fourth day of nationwide campus protests

2026-02-24 - 21:04

On February 24, 2026, the student-led uprising across Iranian universities entered its fourth consecutive day. Despite heavy militarization and violent suppression tactics by the state, major academic institutions in Tehran—including Tehran University, Beheshti (Melli), Sharif, Khajeh Nasir, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), and Science and Culture—remained active sites of protest. The demonstrations also expanded beyond the capital, with students at Isfahan University of Technology, as well as Sajjad and Shandiz universities in Mashhad, holding anti-regime rallies. Direct Confrontation and Student Defiance The regime’s response to the renewed campus unrest has been marked by physical violence and heightened surveillance, which students have met with direct resistance. At Khajeh Nasir University in Tehran, security forces assaulted students at their dormitories in an attempt to disperse their gathering, but the students fought back and maintained their rally. At Isfahan University of Technology, the state deployed drones over the campus to identify and intimidate protesters. More footage of the clashes between students and the regime's Basij and security agents at Khajeh Nasir University.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/bbCQBBpe1y — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 24, 2026 In Tehran, the confrontations escalated into severe physical clashes. At Beheshti University, intense altercations broke out between students and the regime’s Basij and security agents. During the rally, students torched a photograph of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei while chanting, “This is the year of blood, Seyyed Ali will be overthrown!” and “Basij, IRGC, to us you are ISIS.” Meanwhile, at Tehran Art University, female students chanted, “Freedom, freedom, freedom!” At IUST, plainclothes campus security were seen noting the names of students wearing black mourning attire, while police forces stationed themselves outside the university gates. Uncompromising Demands The chants echoing across the campuses demonstrate a clear rejection of the theocratic state in its entirety. At Sharif University, where students successfully resisted attacks by Basij agents, the crowd chanted, “This is the last message, our target is the entire regime!” At both the University of Science and Culture in Tehran and Shandiz University in Mashhad, students repeated the slogan, “Students will die but won’t give in to disgrace!” Demonstrators at Beheshti University made their stance on the ruling establishment clear, chanting, “We will not have a country as long as the mullahs are in power!” February 24—Tehran, Iran Students at Beheshti University (Melli University) resumed protests rallies despite security measures by the regime. Students are chanting, "Freedom, freedom, freedom!" and "We will not have a country as long as the mullahs are in power!" and "We don't... pic.twitter.com/a0i24XBYdi — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 24, 2026 The State’s Panic and Threats of Escalation The persistence of the students has prompted public alarm from the regime’s judicial authorities. On February 24, the regime’s Attorney General, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, called for a swift security and law enforcement crackdown on the universities. Blaming the unrest on “enemies” attempting to inflame the domestic atmosphere, he ordered responsible agencies to “swiftly identify the related agents and take decisive and legal action against them,” warning that the authorities “must not allow such actions to continue.” The current campus strikes are deeply intertwined with the nationwide uprising that erupted on December 28, 2025. Sparked initially by a strike among Tehran bazaar merchants over severe economic crises, the movement quickly evolved into explicit demands for the regime’s overthrow. The state responded with a brutal crackdown, cutting off communications and killing thousands of civilians, including children. Instead of pacifying the public, this systemic slaughter has fueled the students’ resolve. For four days, students have gathered to commemorate the martyrs of the January protests, explicitly rejecting any form of tyranny. As demonstrated during the earlier days of this campus revolt, students have forcefully expelled monarchist provocateurs from their ranks, declaring they will not accept dictatorships of either “turbans” or “boots” and demanding “Neither Shah nor Mullah.” By returning to the campuses to face down the regime’s security forces, the students are demonstrating that the blood spilled by the regime has only solidified the Iranian people’s demand for a free, democratic, and secular republic.