Iran Sees Largest-Ever Anti-Government Protests; Deaths Reported Amid Harsh Crackdown

Anti-government protests in Iran are spreading uncontrollably.

Protesters in downtown Tehran, Iran, on the 29th of last month (local time). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 8th (local time), protesters gathered across the country, including in the capital Tehran, and with the participation of university students and labor unions, the demonstrations have reached their largest scale since they began on the 28th of last month. The protests continued into the morning of the 9th, and a large number of people are expected to take to the streets again at 8 p.m. that day.

It has been reported that 45 people have died so far due to clashes and a heavy-handed crackdown. Iranian authorities have cut off internet and international phone connections nationwide, blocking citizens from communicating with the outside world.

On a major road in western Tehran, large groups of protesters chanted slogans such as "Death to the dictator," while massive crowds also gathered in Tabriz in the north and Mashhad, a Shiite holy city in the east.

In Koochenar in the south, protesters were seen cheering as they pulled down a statue of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020.

This protest is the largest since the "anti-hijab protests" of 2022-2023, sparked by outrage over the killing of a 22-year-old woman who was detained by authorities for showing her hair under her hijab.

Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of the Pahlavi dynasty overthrown by the 1979 revolution, repeatedly sent messages urging citizens to join the protests at 8 p.m. on the 8th and 9th.

Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince currently in exile in the United States, said, "Come out into the streets and voice your demands in a united front," adding, "This is a warning to the Islamic Republic, its leaders, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The world, including President Donald Trump of the United States, is watching you closely. The oppression of the people will not be tolerated."

Iranian state TV, in its 8 a.m. broadcast that day, reported for the first time on the protests since they began, stating that there were casualties due to violence by protesters and that public places such as cars, motorcycles, subways, and buses had been set on fire. However, it did not specify the number of casualties. They also claimed that American and Israeli agents were responsible for arson and violence.

The Iranian human rights group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) reported that as the protests spread to 92 cities, at least 2,076 people had been arrested and at least 36 had died.

Meanwhile, President Trump reiterated in an interview with the conservative radio program "The Hugh Hewitt Show" on the 8th (U.S. time) that "If Iran starts killing its people, it will suffer a major blow."