Across Iran, a revitalized wave of protests is openly challenging the ruling theocracy, driven by a student movement that rejects both the current clerical dictatorship and the deposed monarchy. In a collective manifesto issued on February 23, 2026, students from Tabriz University declared their institutions a “bastion of freedom.” Drawing a deep line against opportunists and state forces alike, the students proclaimed: “Neither Shah nor mullahs, long live the democratic republic.”

Faced with unwavering nationwide defiance, the regime has resorted to a desperate smear campaign. In a televised speech from the northern city of Sari on February 27, Iranian regime President Masoud Pezeshkian attempted to rebrand the popular uprising as “subversion” and “terrorism.” Pezeshkian claimed that protesters were armed with Molotov cocktails and weapons, asserting, “We are victims of terrorism.” This is while the regime has committed a horrible massacre of civilians during the protests.

Pezeshkian’s rhetoric serves as a transparent justification for the state’s ongoing lethal crackdown. On the same day as his speech, the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk warnedthe Human Rights Council in Geneva that at least eight people—including two children—had been sentenced to death in connection with the January mass protests. Turk noted that 30 more individuals are at risk of execution. The severity of the........

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