Kasra Aarabi and Saeid Golkar
‘This country will not be fixed until we bury the mullahs.’ This slogan captures the prevailing mood on Iran’s streets today. What began as demonstrations triggered by the rapid devaluation of the Iranian rial has quickly evolved into open unrest against the regime. Nationwide protests have now entered their ninth day with no sign of de-escalation, spreading well beyond major urban centres into rural towns and villages that were long considered regime strongholds. More than 108 cities and towns have experienced protests, with particularly intense mobilisation in Ilam, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces – regions once viewed as pillars of the Islamic Republic’s social base.
In turn, the regime has resorted to its usual tactics, unleashing a brutal wave of suppression against unarmed protestors. This includes slowing down the internet, deploying its domestic militia – the Basij – on the streets, and mass beatings and arrests. More than 40 civilians have been killed so far, with thousands detained. This violent crackdown – spearheaded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – has even seen the regime’s security forces break into hospitals to kidnap and detain wounded protestors.
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