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Student protests erupt across Iranian universities
Demonstrations have spread to multiple campuses since Saturday, marking the first large-scale protests in Iran since the deadly crackdown on nationwide unrest in December and January. Footage verified by BBC Verify and BBC Persian shows students chanting anti-government slogans and clashing with security forces.
Background to the unrest
Iranian authorities suspended in-person university classes on 4 January, citing "severely cold conditions." Critics, however, alleged the move was intended to prevent student-led demonstrations. The reopening of campuses this weekend has coincided with renewed protests in major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan.
Last week, commemorations were held across Iran to mark 40 days since the escalation of protests and the subsequent violent crackdown on 8 January. The latest rallies follow this period of mourning and remembrance.
Protest details and symbols
Videos verified by the BBC show students at Tehran's al-Zahra University, a women-only institution, burning the Islamic Republic's flag and chanting anti-regime slogans. At the University of Tehran, demonstrators were heard shouting "woman, life, freedom," the rallying cry of the 2022 protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
In several universities, students displayed the pre-1979 "lion and sun" flag, a symbol of Iran's monarchy before the Islamic Revolution. At Isfahan University of Technology, protesters chanted "long live the Shah," referencing Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Some videos also captured slogans opposing both the Islamic Republic and the former monarchy.
At Tehran's Sharif University of Technology, one of Iran's most prestigious institutions, students directed chants against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Clashes with security forces
Footage verified by BBC Verify shows violent confrontations between student protesters and members of the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer force affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). At Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Basij members were seen fighting with students inside the campus. Another video from the University of Tehran's engineering school shows students barricaded inside a building as Basij forces attempt to break through the entrance gate.
Counter-protests and state response
Pro-government students have also organized counter-rallies on several campuses. A video published by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency shows demonstrators burning the flags of the United States and Israel near the main gate of Sharif University. Similar gatherings were reported at Amirkabir, al-Zahra, and Tehran universities.
State television acknowledged on Monday that "limited" anti-government protests had taken place at several universities. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported that a small number of students involved in the Sharif University protests were barred from campus until further notice.
Unrest beyond university campuses
Protests also flared in the western Iranian city of Abdanan over the weekend following the arrest of Yaqoob Mohammadi, an academic and outspoken critic of the clerical establishment. Videos verified by the BBC show Mohammadi being forcibly taken from his home by masked security agents, sparking clashes between protesters and armed forces in the city center. Gunfire was heard in one clip as crowds scattered for safety.
Mohammadi was released on Sunday, and footage shows him greeted by cheering supporters near his home.
Disputed death toll from January crackdown
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported that at least 7,000 people were killed during the January crackdown, including 6,488 protesters and 236 children. Hrana is also investigating reports of an additional 11,000 deaths. Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that around 32,000 people had died. The Iranian government, however, has officially acknowledged 3,117 deaths.
