A second massive wave of anti-government protests has paralyzed Iran’s major academic institutions this week, as students return to campuses following the 40-day mourning period for those killed in the bloody January 2026 uprising.
Despite a "martial-law-like" atmosphere and a series of lethal crackdowns that have reportedly claimed thousands of lives since late December, student-led demonstrations entered their third and most intense day on Tuesday.
The most violent confrontations have centered on Azad University in Mashhad and Ferdowsi University, where students were filmed engaging in direct physical clashes with the Basij, the paramilitary wing of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
In Mashhad, students were heard chanting, "Basij, Guards, you are our Daesh (ISIS)," a slogan directly comparing the regime's security forces to the extremist terror group. Security forces have reportedly taken control of university entrances, conducting violent arrests and implementing "entry bans" for suspected activists.
At Sharif University and the University of Tehran, protesters have increasingly adopted monarchist symbols, raising the pre-1979 "Lion and Sun" flag and chanting "Javid Shah" (Long Live the Shah) alongside traditional calls for "Woman, Life, Freedom."
The current unrest is fueled by several converging factors reported by international monitors and opposition sources:
The 40-Day "Chehelom": Protests were reignited to mark the 40th day since the "January Massacres." Memorial ceremonies for fallen students, such as Faezeh Hosse-Nejad in Mashhad and Raha Bohloulipour in Tehran, have transformed into massive anti-regime rallies.
