Down with the tyrant! – is one of the most frequently chanted slogans on Iran’s streets during the last ten days.
Anger over soaring prices, inflation, and an endlessly plunging currency sparked street protests among shopkeepers at the famous bazaars, students and adolescents. The protests started in Teheran but are spread to more than 200 cities across Iran by now. Various ethnic groups like the Baluchi in Baluchistan, the Arabs in Khuzestan, the Kurds in the North-West or the Lores from Lorestan joined the demonstrations.
People in Shiraz, Mashhad, Kermanshah or Isfahan drop to the streets with various slogans that clearly show that this economic low is just the tip of an iceberg. After a severe water crisis, electricity shortages, food prices that went up 72%, medicine prices up 50% and the rial losing 40% of its value, an increase in death sentences, harassment of women in the streets because of them not covering their hair, people have nothing to lose but much to gain.
People have had enough with the regime. They don’t call for reforms. They don’t call for anything else but the downfall of the tyrant, in different variations. The people of Iran long for freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long.
Voices in Iran
Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric, Mowlavi Abdolhamid, a cautious critic of the reign of Supreme Leader Ali Chamenei, said nationwide protests had been driven by worsening living conditions. In a post on X he wrote: „The unbearable living conditions and the existing deadlock have led to the formation of popular protests.“ He further noted: „Ignoring the proposals of well-wishers to bring about necessary changes has confronted the country with political and economic crisis.„
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday instructed the Interior Ministry to adopt a “friendly and responsible” approach toward protesters. According to state media, Pezeshkian said his government is committed to respecting citizens and listening to their demands, arguing that “honest and transparent communication with public opinion is one of the foundations of managing social crises.”
He acknowledged the “real living pressures” facing citizens, saying societal shortcomings are the result of governance performance and should be addressed through participatory decision-making and involving stakeholders in crafting solutions. Pezeshkian also called for expanded dialogue at universities, describing “fair criticism” as a form of political capital, and urged provincial governors to strengthen communication channels with citizens at the local level.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei acknowledged that demonstrators’ economic demands were legitimate, while he rejected dialogue with what he labelled as rioters. He insisted such elements must be “stopped.” Khamenei further accused “agitators and enemy mercenaries” of operating behind protesting traders.
Shortly afterwards, Iran’s judiciary chief Mohseni Ejei on Monday vowed “no leniency” toward what he called “rioters” seeking to incite unrest amid ongoing protests fuelled by economic hardships in the country. Ejei said that while authorities remain open to hearing protesters and critics on their concerns about social and economic welfare, “rioters and instigators” would be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law. So he basically repeated the words of Ali Khamenei.
Voices out of Iran
The situation continues to escalate: more than 19 protesters have already been killed by the regime’s repressive forces. More than 900 are said to have been arrested. There are fears that they are also being tortured in custody: videos of ‘confessions’ are circulating, published by the judiciary and police to intimidate the protest movement and make the protests appear to be controlled from outside.
Despite President Trump’s warning not to apply force on the protesters, Ali Khamenei announced that he would continue to take a hard line. Meanwhile, the US government is threatening military strikes if the regime continues to kill protesters.
Not many world leaders have addressed the dire situation in Iran, being absorbed by national crises, the capturing of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro or some unknown reasons.
But many exiled Iranians are attentively following the events in Iran. Some who live in the West advocate for Prince Reza Pahlavi to take power in Iran and replace Ali Khamenei and his system of velajat-e faghi. There are even people in the streets of Iran who repeat slogans concerning the return of Reza Pahlavi to Iran.
Meanwhile, Prince Reza Pahlavi comments on the current events: „The shooting of the brave and noble people of Malekshahi, the killing of the city’s youth, and the subsequent cowardly attack by the regime’s mercenaries on Ilam Hospital, are an unmistakable crime that recalls the massacre of the people of Zahedan on Bloody Friday in 2022.
A regime that kills unarmed young people and raids medical centres clearly has no legitimacy, and is nearing its end. To the suffering and patriotic people of Malekshahi and Ilam: I stand with you in grief and solidarity, and I assure you that Khamenei and the corrupt, murderous ringleaders of the Islamic Republic will pay the price for this crime.„
Unity to bring down the regime is more important now
There are quite some videos showing people shouting slogans in favour of Reza Pahlavi as a new leader all over the country. In the same time, some of these videos have been revealed as fakes. Images of large crowds that quietly walk in protest have added voiceovers with slogans calling for Reza Pahlavi.
Nevertheless, there are authentic videos that are not faked where people are heard calling for the son of the late Shah. Some opposition leaders claim that there might be people who eagerly want to replace Ali Khamenei by Reza Pahlavi, hoping to thus end the hardships rapidly, but warn that one of the well known tactics of the regime is distraction and division.
They say the regime might try to foster division inside the opposition by letting some Bassiji call for Reza Pahlavi and thus stir quarrels between monarchists, leftists, republicans, centrists and nationalists. They advise uniting behind one goal that has to be achieved first: the fall of the regime.
Tribute to the killed ones
According to the latest news and counting, more than 35 people have been shot dead by regime forces so far. Some activists expect this week to be more bloody than the days before, as the regime will not easily give in. We publish some names of protesters who have been shot during the last days in order to honour their fight for freedom:
Dariush Ansari Bakhtiarvand, Shayan Asadollahi, Amir Hossam Khodayarifard, Ahmad Jalil, Sajjad Zeilaei, Erfan Bozorgy, Ahmad Reza Amani, Ahad Ebrahimpour Abdoli, Ali Azizi, Mansour Mokhtari, Mohammad Ghasem Rousta, Amir Bayat, Farshid Mokhtari, Reza Azimzadeh, Mohammad Bezouneh, Farez Aghamohammadi, Mostafa Fallahi, Soroush Soleimani, Taha Safari, Amir Kohkan, Amir Khodayi, Khodadad Shirvani, Sajjad Valamanesh, Vahab Qaedi, Hossein Rabiei, Reza Kadivorian, Mehdi Emamipour, Rasoul Kadivorian, Mohammad Nouri, Reza Ghanbar.
Down with the tyrant
@Helmut N. Gabel, mehriran.de/en, 06.01.26
