Iranian university students began the new academic term on Saturday with coordinated protests across several campuses, reigniting tensions between young
demonstrators and pro-government groups, according to local media reports and widely shared social media footage.
The campus demonstrations coincided with the 40-day mourning period traditionally observed for those killed during last month’s anti-government protests—an uprising that rights groups say claimed thousands of lives and marked the most severe domestic unrest since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Videos circulating online appeared to show long lines of protesters marching at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, chanting slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and branding him a “murderous leader.” Some demonstrators were also heard calling for Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, to return as a monarch—an unusually explicit political demand in a tightly controlled state.
State-affiliated outlets, including SNN, published footage of clashes at Sharif University, alleging that protesters hurled stones and injured members of the Basij, a volunteer student militia that frequently supports security forces during unrest. The university is widely regarded as Iran’s leading engineering institution and has often been a focal point for student activism.
Protests were also reported at Beheshti University and Amir Kabir University in Tehran, as well as Mashhad University in northeastern Iran. Videos documenting these demonstrations were shared by the rights group HAALVSH, though the footage could not be independently verified.
Beyond the campuses, unrest spread to the western town of Abdanan, a recurring hotspot for demonstrations. There, crowds reportedly chanted “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator” following the arrest of a teacher known for activist work, according to the rights group **Hengaw** and posts on social media.
The renewed protests underscore the persistence of dissent among Iran’s youth, particularly students, despite an intensified security crackdown. As universities reopen, campuses are once again emerging as flashpoints in a broader struggle between a restless generation and a deeply entrenched political system. Photo by Behrooz Rezvani, Wikimedia commons.