Every major wave of popular protest since the Shah’s overthrow in 1979 and the establishment of the Islamic Republic has sparked renewed talk of regime change – only to be met, each time, with a brutal response by the regime.
Less than two weeks after the 1979 revolution, thousands of women marched in Tehran against a decree mandating the hijab. The protests were swiftly suppressed, and compulsory veiling was enforced nationwide in the years that followed.
Two decades later, unrest resurfaced on university campuses. In July 1999, students at Tehran University protested the closure of the reformist newspaper Salam. A police raid on student dormitories triggered demonstrations in several cities before security forces moved in, leaving several students dead and hundreds imprisoned.
The most significant challenge to the system came in 2009, after disputed presidential election results returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Millions joined what became known as the Green Movement, accusing authorities of electoral fraud. After weeks of mass rallies, security forces and Basij militias crushed the protests, killing dozens and arresting thousands.
Economic grievances drove the next major uprising. In November 2019, a sudden fuel price hike sparked nationwide protests. Authorities imposed Iran’s first near-total internet blackout as police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps suppressed demonstrations. Rights groups say hundreds were killed in what became known as “Bloody November.”
In 2022, unrest erupted again after the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody following her arrest by the morality police. Protests under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” spread across the country, demanding women’s rights and broader political change. Hundreds were killed, more than 20,000 arrested, and several protesters executed during months of unrest, according to activists.
Most recently, in 2025 and 2026, a collapsing currency and deepening economic crisis triggered fresh nationwide protests, with demonstrators openly questioning the legitimacy of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Reports suggest around 2,000 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown, amid heightened international tensions and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
