Protests that began at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar due to the economic crisis and later spread to cities across the country have been ongoing for 10 days. While dozens of people have reportedly been killed by regime forces and hundreds detained, the protests have turned into actions against the regime’s repressive policies, with university students and women playing a prominent role.

 

 

Speaking to Mezopotamya Agency (MA) about developments in his country, Iranian journalist Ali Sobati said the protests cannot be reduced to a single factor such as the economic crisis alone, but emphasized that imposed poverty is the main motivation behind them. He noted that underlying this motivation are various concerns, including women’s rights and the rights of ethnic minorities. Sobati added that these concerns are being manipulated by other forces in an attempt to transform them into a demand for an alternative regime. Sobati said, for this reason it is possible to hear slogans in some protests that attempt to present the Pahlavi dynasty as an alternative to the current regime. 

 

“At the same time, you may find different slogans in food distribution centers in the south of Tehran, and different slogans in different cities, which is indeed the case. This shows how complex the situation is,” he said.

 

Sobati noted that university students use more progressive slogans: “They are against anything that is not democratic, and they do not believe that monarchism or the patriarchal foundations underlying a monarchical vision for Iran’s future could be democratic at all. In terms of gender and ethnicity, this opposition is highly centralist, deeply patriarchal, and in fact misogynistic.” 

 

MANIPULATION BY PAHLAVI SUPPORTERS

 

Sobati stated that supporters of the Pahlavi dynasty, who lack broad social support in Iran, frequently resort to manipulative methods through the media channels they use to compensate for this weakness. As an example, he pointed to the media group Iran International, known for its pro-Pahlavi broadcasts.

 

Emphasizing that the Pahlavis have a very limited following within Iran, Sobati said: “This is why they often resort to dubbing. For example, people chant ‘death to the dictator,’ and then Iran International and other media outlets, which claim credibility and journalistic standards but clearly fail to meet them, dub these chants with slogans in favor of the Pahlavi dynasty. Phrases such as ‘this is the last struggle’ or ‘Pahlavi will return to Iran’ are added, even though either nobody said them or perhaps one isolated individual did. These are then presented as collective slogans, as if they reflect the unified will and desire of Iranians in the streets to pave the way for Pahlavi’s return. This is essentially a propaganda operation.”

 

THE PRODUCT OF LONG-ACCUMULATED GRIEVANCES

 

Sobati said the current developments cannot be considered independently of what has taken place in the Middle East and Iran over the past 20 years. “On a daily basis, people witness how poverty is being imposed on society as a whole, while a very small privileged group connected to the regime enjoys extravagant lifestyles that surpass even those seen in places like Beverly Hills or Toronto. This is the reality on the ground,” he said.

 

He stressed that this situation is not new and dates back at least to the 2009 Green Movement. “What we are seeing now is the transformation of long-standing, accumulated grievances and discontent into the present moment,” Sobati added.

 

‘KURDISH REGIONS HAVE POSED A MORE SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO THE STATE’

 

Noting that the regime’s tendency toward violence, long characterized by brutal methods and seen in the past, continues as a default response, Sobati said: “The more concrete the perceived threat, the more violent the regime’s response becomes. Kurdish-populated areas of Iran, with their stronger traditions of political organization and greater capacity for mobilization, have posed a more serious challenge to the state.”

 

Referring to the “Jin, jiyan, azadî (Woman, life, freedom)” movement, Sobati said that regions such as Mahabad, Nahavand, and Kermanshah were heavily involved and displayed higher levels of organization. “In some cases, protests were so effective that state officials were forced to temporarily leave towns. Under such circumstances, it is unsurprising that the regime responds with a harsher iron fist in these regions,” he said.

 

Sobati also noted that external developments, such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham coming to power in Syria and the involvement of other countries, including Israel, in protests against the regime in Iran, have negatively affected the dynamics of the protests. He warned that assuming the protests will necessarily yield positive outcomes could be misleading.

 

‘THERE IS RESISTANCE TO THE IMPOSITIONS OF PAHLAVI SUPPORTERS’

 

Stating that the Iranian diaspora is increasingly exhibiting monarchist and reactionary tendencies, Sobati said street protests alone cannot guarantee a historical solution. He emphasized that a movement’s resistance to repression and its international impact are key factors in achieving change.

 

Warning that even years-long resistance movements like “Jin, jiyan, azadî” carry the risk of being suppressed domestically and distorted abroad, Sobati continued: “One key difference this time is the level of awareness. Unlike before, many intellectuals and influential voices are now warning against unity with reactionary forces. Opposition to the regime does not automatically create a unified political project. This distinction is crucial.” 

 

 

He added that since the start of the protests, particularly among leftist intellectuals, there has been strong resistance to being drawn into a political framework imposed by Pahlavi and his supporters. “The focus is now on preventing the confiscation of the movement and allowing it to develop organically. This struggle surfaced after nearly two years of reflection following “Woman, life, freedom,” Sobati said.

 

He concluded by noting that this awareness had begun to form even before the protests spread from Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to other cities: “Many are determined not to repeat past mistakes. This is the key difference this time, and it is my hope that these efforts will succeed in preventing reactionary forces from hijacking the movement again.”

 

MA / Hivda Celebi