Tehran — Protests that started in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar have expanded to a number of Iranian cities and main universities, with demonstrators brazenly calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and expressing assist for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
The unrest was initially triggered by deepening financial pressures, however video footage and eyewitness reviews point out that demonstrations have taken on a distinctly political tone. Protesters have been heard chanting slogans honoring the late Reza Shah and calling for the return of his son, Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile.
Among essentially the most widely-heard chants had been:
“Reza Shah, could your soul relaxation in peace.” “This is the ultimate battle — Pahlavi will return.” “King of Iran — come again to Iran.” “Reza, Reza Pahlavi — that is our nationwide slogan.” “Down with the dictator.” “Down with Khamenei.”
These slogans, shared throughout social media platforms, sign a rising willingness amongst protesters to brazenly determine with Iran’s former monarchy and name for regime change — a development that analysts say displays deep public disillusionment.
From the Bazaar to the Universities
Merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar had been among the many first to stroll out and collect in protest, closing storefronts and marching via bazaar corridors. Within hours, solidarity demonstrations had been reported in extra cities.
University college students have now joined the motion, together with demonstrations at Amir Kabir University and Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. Students had been seen marching on campus grounds and chanting political slogans that aligned with the broader protest motion.
University participation has traditionally performed a decisive position in main protest cycles inside Iran, and observers say the involvement of scholars means that unrest has broadened past financial frustration into ideological and political rejection of the ruling system.
Calls for Unity Around Reza Pahlavi
Supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi — the exiled son of Iran’s final monarch — have pointed to the chants as proof of a rising grassroots motion searching for nationwide management outdoors the present regime. Pahlavi has repeatedly positioned himself as a unifying determine advocating for secular democracy, urging civil resistance and social solidarity.
The specific public endorsement of Pahlavi in protest slogans marks probably the most seen expressions of monarchist sentiment in recent times.
Government Response
Security forces have been deployed in a number of protest places, with reviews of crowd-control measures used to disperse demonstrators. Shops linked to the preliminary walkouts had been positioned below heightened surveillance, and authorities have maintained their stance in opposition to anti-government assemblies.
Despite this, protests have continued intermittently throughout a number of areas.
Broader Significance
Analysts say the demonstrations spotlight escalating social and financial pressure inside Iran — mixed with deepening political dissatisfaction. The repeated requires the tip of Iran’s ruling system and the return of the Pahlavi household counsel that opposition sentiment is turning into more and more organized round symbolic figures of nationwide id and unity.
While the dimensions and length of the newest protests stay unsure, the resurgence of brazenly pro-Pahlavi slogans — alongside chants calling for the tip of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s rule — sign a severe problem to the regime’s public legitimacy
