University students hold new protests in Iran around memorials for those killed : NPR
Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets on its deck and a sign in Farsi and English reading, “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,” at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.
Vahid Salemi/AP
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Vahid Salemi/AP
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — New anti-government protests began in Iran, witnesses said Sunday, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials to thousands of people killed during the crackdown on previous nationwide protests about six weeks ago.
Iran’s official news agency said students protested on Sunday at five universities in the capital Tehran and one in the city of Mashhad. Scattered protests broke out at universities on Saturday after 40 days of commemoration of those killed in January during anti-government rallies.
The Iranian government has not commented on the latest protests.
Many Iranians held ceremonies last week marking the traditional 40-day mourning period. Most of the protesters were killed around January 8 and 9, according to activists monitoring the situation.
Iranians across the country are still reeling from shock, grief and fear after previous protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands are believed to have been arrested.
Although the crackdown has suppressed larger protests, smaller demonstrations are still taking place, according to protesters and videos shared on social media.
During the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Shah and brought the Islamic Republic to power, 40-day commemorations of slain protesters often turned into rallies that security forces attempted to crush, causing more deaths. These were then marked 40 days later by new demonstrations.
Social media posts on Saturday and Sunday claimed security forces had tried to prevent people from attending some 40-day ceremonies.
The new protests come as Iran prepares for the possibility of a U.S. attack, as the Trump administration pushes for Iran to make concessions on its nuclear program and other issues. The United States has built its largest military presence in the Middle East in decades.
The US-based Human Rights Activists news agency says at least 7,015 people have been killed in previous protests and crackdowns, including 214 members of government forces. The group has accurately counted deaths during previous waves of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists on the ground to verify deaths.
The death toll continues to rise as the group verifies information despite disrupted communications with those inside the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian government announced its only toll from previous protests on January 21, saying 3,117 people had been killed. In the past, the Iranian theocracy has underreported or not reported deaths from past unrest.
The Associated Press was unable to independently assess the death toll, as authorities have cut internet access and international calls in Iran.
US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran were possible, although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran hoped to have a deal ready in the coming days, following indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.
The movements of additional U.S. warships and aircraft, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, do not guarantee a U.S. strike on Iran, but they strengthen Trump’s ability to carry one out if he chooses.
