Iranian students sustain anti-regime protests as state media warns of organized resistance

2026-02-27 - 18:34

Across Iran, a revitalized wave of protests is openly challenging the ruling theocracy, driven by a student movement that rejects both the current clerical dictatorship and the deposed monarchy. In a collective manifesto issued on February 23, 2026, students from Tabriz University declared their institutions a “bastion of freedom.” Drawing a deep line against opportunists and state forces alike, the students proclaimed: “Neither Shah nor mullahs, long live the democratic republic.” Faced with unwavering nationwide defiance, the regime has resorted to a desperate smear campaign. In a televised speech from the northern city of Sari on February 27, Iranian regime President Masoud Pezeshkian attempted to rebrand the popular uprising as “subversion” and “terrorism.” Pezeshkian claimed that protesters were armed with Molotov cocktails and weapons, asserting, “We are victims of terrorism.” This is while the regime has committed a horrible massacre of civilians during the protests. Pezeshkian’s rhetoric serves as a transparent justification for the state’s ongoing lethal crackdown. On the same day as his speech, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk warned the Human Rights Council in Geneva that at least eight people—including two children—had been sentenced to death in connection with the January mass protests. Turk noted that 30 more individuals are at risk of execution. The severity of the crackdown has drawn international attention, with U.S. President Donald Trump recently warning Tehran against carrying out these executions. State media confessions: A regime terrified of an “organized” society The regime’s internal panic is increasingly visible in its own state-run media, which now openly warns of an organized opposition. The daily Siasat-e Roz recently published an unprecedented admission regarding the rapid radicalization of the protests. The paper noted that the time between the first chanted slogan and the burning of state and military centers has shrunk to mere hours. Acknowledging a dangerous new phase for the establishment, the outlet attributed this shift to the presence of “organized” elements demonstrating “guerrilla and paramilitary training.” Furthermore, Siasat-e Roz confessed that state violence is fueling the uprising: “When a youth is killed in the street... this spilled blood is gasoline on the fire of public emotions that burns rationality and opens the way for mutual violence,” warning that this triggers the dangerous phase of a “civil war.” Other state outlets acknowledge that the unrest is no longer isolated. The Jahan-e Sanat daily noted that skyrocketing inflation and economic ruin have united students, workers, women, retirees, and teachers. Meanwhile, Donya-ye Eqtesad warned that the regime’s heavy-handed tactics—such as forcing universities like Kharazmi, Science and Culture, and Azad Alborz to shift to virtual classes—will only lead to more “high-risk” protest behaviors and the mass radicalization of the public. The Unbreakable Student Movement The realities on Iranian campuses reflect the very radicalization the state media fears. Over the past week, major universities across Iran—including Tehran, Sharif, Amir Kabir, Khajeh Nasir, and Isfahan—have witnessed five consecutive days of intense protests and direct clashes with Basij paramilitary forces. The state has deployed militarization and bureaucratic purges to break the students. At Shiraz University, security forces barricaded campus entrances and chained the doors of the Kharazmi Library shut to trap and disperse gathering students. According to a February 25 report by the state-run Shargh daily, the regime initiated a massive purge, issuing SMS summons to at least 180 students across Tehran. These summons resulted in immediate campus bans following mock hearings that lasted as little as 15 minutes. Despite this suppression, the students have maintained clarity. At institutions like the Iran University of Science and Technology and Amir Kabir, embedded Basij mercenaries attempted to hijack rallies by shouting the pro-monarchy slogan “Javid Shah” to delegitimize the democratic movement. Students immediately repelled them, loudly rejecting both the turbaned rulers of today and the booted dictators of the past. At Kharazmi University, students staged a sit-in against virtual classes, chanting, “If the classes become virtual, our slogans will become more radical!” A Movement Forged in Blood The current wave of campus defiance and state panic cannot be understood outside the context of the massive uprising that preceded it. The unrest originally erupted on December 28, 2025, starting as an economic strike by bazaar merchants in central Tehran, including the Alaeddin Shopping Centre and the Grand Bazaar. Sparked by a plunging rial and skyrocketing inflation, the protests rapidly nationalized. Within days, the movement transitioned from demanding economic relief to explicitly calling for the overthrow of the regime. Unable to contain the expanding geographic and social scope of the protests, the clerical establishment responded with sheer brutality. The regime imposed severe communication blackouts and quelled the initial wave of unrest by murdering thousands of civilians, including hundreds of children. Yet, as the students’ uncompromising presence on the streets this week proves, systemic slaughter has failed to pacify the Iranian people. Swearing by the blood of their fallen compatriots, protesters continue to face down security forces, demonstrating that the nation’s resolve to achieve a free, secular, and democratic republic remains unbroken.