Fresh waves of anti-government demonstrations broke out across major Iranian universities on Saturday, marking a defiant start to the new academic term as the country grapples with internal dissent and intensifying international pressure.
Undergraduates at the Amirkabir University of Technology and Sharif University of Technology led rallies in the capital, where protesters directed slogans against the country’s leadership and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reports Financial Times.
Social media footage from Sharif University captured tense confrontations between opposing student factions; pro-regime groups waved national flags and voiced religious support for the leadership, while anti-government demonstrators responded with pro-monarchy chants and calls for the downfall of the “dictator”.
The unrest has spread beyond the capital, with similar gatherings reported at the University of Tehran and in the city of Mashhad, where students issued calls for “freedom”.
At Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran, students staged a demonstration specifically demanding the release of their detained peers. These actions follow the deadliest period of unrest in Iran’s modern history – sparked by economic grievances last month – which affected 400 towns and cities.
The human cost of the recent turmoil remains a point of sharp international contention. While Tehran’s official figures state that 3,117 people were killed, US President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that the death toll has reached 32,000. This figure was promptly challenged by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who demanded the US provide evidence for such a claim.
This domestic instability coincides with a significant US military buildup in the Middle East, the largest since 2003, and a 15-day ultimatum from President Trump for Tehran to reach a new deal.
In response, Iranian authorities have stated they are prepared for conflict but remain open to diplomatic discussions regarding their nuclear programme, provided their missile programme remains off the table.
On the ground, signs of a cultural shift in dissent are emerging. During traditional 40-day mourning ceremonies for those killed in earlier protests, many mourners have abandoned customary black dress for white attire, incorporating music and singing into rituals that are traditionally somber.
Although the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to avoid the mass arrests seen during the 2022 protests, the state remains highly sensitive to the possibility of campus activism igniting broader public revolts.
