2025–2026 Iranian protests
The 2025–2026 Iranian protests are a series of nationwide demonstrations against the government of Iran that began on 28 December 2025 amid a deepening economic crisis. The unrest followed a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial, rising inflation, and widespread shortages linked to international sanctions and government mismanagement. This event has been the largest uprising in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, spreading to more than 200 cities across the country. The ensuing crackdown, reportedly carried out under orders by Ali Khamenei and senior officials to use live fire on protesters, resulted in massacres that left thousands of protesters dead, making them the largest massacres in modern Iranian history. Initially sparked by frustration over record-high inflation, food prices, and currency depreciation, the protests quickly evolved into a broader movement demanding an end to the Islamic government. Beginning with the bazaari (shopkeepers and merchants) in Tehran's Grand Bazaar and later university students, the demonstrations soon spread to other major cities and small settlements. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans. Although largely leaderless, the protests escalated on 8 January following a call for unified protests by Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah. On 8 January, 1.5 million protesters took to the streets of Tehran and, by 9 January 5 million people were protesting nationwide according to an unnamed European diplomat citing intelligence. Pahlavi has called for a peaceful transition and a referendum to determine Iran's future political system. The Iranian government has cut off Internet access and telephone services in an attempt to prevent protesters from organising. It has accused the United States and Israel of fuelling the protests. By 9 January, millions had taken to the streets in protests across all 31 provinces. Amid the internet blackout, Iranian security forces escalated their use of live ammunition against demonstrators. Hospitals in Tehran and Shiraz were reported to be overwhelmed by injured protesters, many suffering gunshot wounds. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that security forces had fired on protesters, raising international concern over human rights. Thousands were also arrested during the violent crackdown. Despite the blackout, on 10 January 2026, The Guardian documented multiple reports of security forces opening fire on demonstrations, with one eyewitness stating they saw "hundreds of bodies" across Tehran. By late January, Time, The Guardian and Iran International, citing local health officials, reported that between 30,000 and 36,500 protesters were killed during 8–9 January. As of 5 February 2026, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) had confirmed and documented 7,015 deaths, including at least 6,508 protesters, with 11,744 additional cases under review. The Iranian government had reported 3,117 deaths, while local health officials said the total death toll could be as high as 30,000. On 11 February, President Pezeshkian apologized to the nation for the massacres. On 21 February, a second major wave of student‑led protests erupted at the start of the new academic semester across several Iranian universities. Demonstrations included sit‑ins and campus protests. The renewed unrest coincided with forty‑day memorials for those killed in earlier protests and featured chants against Ali Khamenei as well as calls for Reza Pahlavi to replace him. During the unrest, a student at the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran died, Iranian state media attributed the death to a "sudden health incident". Protests continued over the following days, with demonstrations from 23 to 25 February adopting the Lion and Sun flag and featuring anti‑government chants. University authorities and security forces declared the protests "illegal", conducted searches of student dormitories, and arrested suspected participants, while Basij members and other security forces attacked protesters at several universities. Following the escalation of the 2026 Iran war and strikes on government and military targets, protests continued across Iran despite renewed internet shutdowns and heavy security deployments. Demonstrations took the form of nightly rooftop chants from residential buildings, with videos showing security forces firing towards people chanting from windows. The assassination of Ali Khamenei marked a turning point, with gatherings and celebrations in several areas despite violent crackdowns. After the government announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader on 8 March, protesters chanted "Death to Mojtaba" in residential neighborhoods. Opposition figure Reza Pahlavi later urged Iranians to remain in their homes while continuing rooftop chants as a sign of unity, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened a wider crackdown. During Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations ahead of Nowruz, many Iranians defied official restrictions and gathered in the streets, prompting security forces to disperse crowds with gunfire.