On February 22, 2026, a massive wave of anti-regime protests swept through Iranian universities for the second consecutive day. Across the country’s most prominent academic institutions, students boycotted classes and took to the campuses, chanting slogans that categorically rejected all forms of dictatorship. The demonstrations spanned major universities in the capital, including Tehran University, Amir Kabir, Khajeh Nasir, Iran University of Science and Technology, Sharif, Beheshti, and the Art University, as well as Ferdowsi and Sajjad universities in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

At Tehran University, the country’s oldest and largest academic institution, the core message of the protests was unmistakable. Massive crowds of students chanted, “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader,” and “Neither monarchy, nor mullahs’ rule; yes to democracy and equality.” These slogans directly reflect the student movement’s unified demand for a democratic republic and their outright refusal to replace the current theocracy with a return to monarchical tyranny. At Amir Kabir University, students echoed this sentiment, declaring their objective as spreading an “democratic revolution, neither Shah nor Mullah” from the heart of the campus to the horizons of Iran.

Confronting Regime Forces and Sabotage

The student protests were not without fierce resistance against the regime’s security apparatus. On several campuses, students directly clashed with Basij mercenaries deployed to suppress the uprising. At Khajeh Nasir University in Tehran, the confrontation escalated as students trampled on photographs of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, chanting, “Khamenei........

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